


Be My Player 2?

by Myoneloveismusic



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: College Age AU, Frottage, Long-Distance Relationship, M/M, Online Friendship, Slow Build, and gamers, you can't convince me these two aren't nerds
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-07
Updated: 2018-07-15
Packaged: 2018-08-07 07:52:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 27
Words: 79,293
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7706584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Myoneloveismusic/pseuds/Myoneloveismusic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Keith gets anxious about paying for school sometimes. Shiro doesn't have to worry about having his finances covered, but he has his own set of issues. By some lucky twist of fate, the two of them meet late one night and team up while playing the popular MMORPG "Voltron: Defenders of the Universe." They connect immediately and find comfort and friendship in each other when they're alone in their homes miles and miles apart.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> IT'S FINALLY HAPPENING! I've been struggling to get this written for several days, but IT'S HERE!!
> 
> This fic was inspired by the amazing art done by lordzuuko over on tumblr. Like, go look at it because it's perf and made me want to start writing it and I'm so grateful they've been supportive and encouraging when I brought up the idea. So thank you! :*
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> <3 MOLIM

                Keith slammed his apartment door shut behind him and kicked of his shoes, willing his emotions down to prevent them from overwhelming him. It was one of his bad days where the pressure of everything was building and seemed to be becoming too much. He was worried about passing his classes in order to keep his GPA high enough so he wouldn’t lose his scholarship and then he had to get through his part-time job to help pay for the school funds that the scholarships didn’t cover, not to mention rent. And just the thought of the loan money that he had to take out that would be accumulating debt made Keith feel like he was about to start hyperventilating.

                He briskly walked into his bedroom and pulled his laptop from his backpack before crawling underneath the covers with it and powering the device up, the warmth of the blanket immediately getting him to lose some of the tension his shoulders had been holding. He logged into his _Voltron: Defenders of the Universe_ account and easily settled into his MMORPG role. When Keith had first started playing the game, he’d been prompted to choose between the peaceful Altean race and the bloodthirsty Galra. The choice had honestly been a no-brainer and he chose his role as a pilot of the red lion.

                Once his character had spawned aboard the castle, Keith started looking for a group that he could join up with and work on completing missions. The difficulty of each varied-some could be beaten by a single player while others required 2 or more players. The hardest levels required all five Lions in order to form Voltron and help defeat the Galra. There weren’t many people in the castle considering how late it was.

                Keith started scrolling through his incomplete missions when a notification popped up in the corner of his screen.

 

_Spacedi sent you a message!_

_Spacedi: Team up for the stranded cargo ship mission?_

                Keith squinted at the writing, but shrugged and sent the team request. It was accepted almost instantly and the two of them chose the correct mission from the drop-down and were relocated into their lions near the planet where the ship was downed. Their lions flew down to the planet, Keith found it interesting that his teammate for the night was piloting a black lion, and landed on the blue planet. There was a large red cargo ship nearby that the stranded aliens were sitting next to.

                The two gamers exited their lions, but Keith couldn’t get very far before another message popped up.

 

_Spacedi: I’m Shiro. What’s your name? If you don’t mind telling me, that is._

                Keith bit his lip, but couldn’t see the harm. It wasn’t like this guy knew who he was and it was only a first name anyway.

 

_SpaceSpade: Keith_

He followed behind Shiro’s character who moved to approach the stranded pilots. One of them was purple and holding a wrench in his hand and the other was a woman with a yellow complexion. They also had a small robot that they had in their care that was working with the first one to try and repair their ship. A text box appeared on the screen.

 

_Rolo: I’m Rolo. This is Naima and our cyber unit, Beezer. We need your help to repair our ship and get off this planet. Will you accept this mission?_

                Keith was given the option to either accept or decline the mission and confirmed his acceptance. Rolo began explaining the mission that there were a group of Galra on the planet who had stolen their spare parts and needed their help to get them back to repair the ship. The players were also warned of the dangerous species that lived on the planet that they would need to be prepared to fight and the numerous Galra that were no doubt lurking in the surrounding forest. Once the dialogue concluded, Keith turned back to get in his lion, but found it wasn’t reacting to him. Confused, he sent a message to Shiro.

 

_SpaceSpade: Are you able to get into your lion?_

_Spacedi: No. I guess we have to do this without them and use our bayards instead._

                Shrugging the turn of events off for the moment, Keith turned his character back in the direction that Rolo had pointed them in earlier. Shiro’s character fell into step beside him and Keith equipped himself with his bayard which was a longsword. He didn’t see Shiro make a move to do so.

 

_SpaceSpade: Aren’t you going to equip your bayard?_

_Spacedi: I actually don’t use one._

_SpaceSpade: What?_

_Spacedi: Yeah, my character uses hand-to-hand._

                Keith had never heard of any player choosing to specialize in hand-to-hand combat before. He didn’t even think that it was possible in the game, but he supposed it was one of those skills that you could pick for your character. His own had excellent skills in flying and knew enough about ships and things that he could pilot almost anything. He even liked to think that if given the opportunity in the game, he’d be able to take control of the Millennium Falcon, but that was just wishful thinking, not to mention the fact that it didn’t exist in the game’s universe at all.  

                The expanse of land had been vast and empty when they’d started out on the mission, but dense foliage had developed rather quickly, leaving many places for enemy Galra or other dangerous beings to hide. The two players moved cautiously, doing their best to keep quiet and prevent themselves from accidentally revealing their location if Galra happened to be nearby. The calm didn’t last long as a rather large and armor-covered Galra came crashing through the trees brandishing a giant club.

                Keith and Shiro immediately fell into a defensive maneuver, avoiding the swing of the giant club that landed where they had been seconds ago, creating a small indent. The enemy growled and hefted his club back over his head, turning to face Keith. He readied himself for the attack and dodged under it, bringing his sword down in an arc across the Galra’s arm. The attack brought down its HP slightly, meaning it had a strong defense and wouldn’t be brought down as easily as some opponents they’d encountered in other missions.

 

_Spacedi: Strong defense. Alternating attack/distract plan?_

_SpaceSpade: You read my mind._

                Keith moved out from underneath the Galra’s arm, who was still focused on him, and watched as Shiro came up behind him and performed a complicated series of kicks and punches, throwing him forward and off-balance. Keith danced out of the way as the enemy turned its attention back to Shiro. He darted forward and got in several well-placed hits before it turned back on him. The two of them continued in that way, easily avoiding attacks and hits until the Galra’s HP reached zero and it disappeared.

 

_Spacedi: Nice fighting there._

_SpaceSpade: You too. You’ve really got the hand-to-hand down._

_Spacedi: It wasn’t always like that. I ended up getting killed a lot when I first started playing._

                Keith smiled.

 

_SpaceSpade: Didn’t we all?_

                Their characters continued on through the foliage, knowing that attacks were most likely going to start coming more frequently and become more difficult as they reached their final destination. And they weren’t disappointed. Keith took more hits than he would’ve liked as they worked their way through the forest, but knew he would’ve taken a lot more if it hadn’t been for Shiro. Their attack/distract form of fighting saved them both a lot of trouble and Keith was surprised at how well they worked together, never having teamed up with each other before.

                They passed through the forest relatively easily and landed in a clearing where the final Boss was waiting for them and things got particularly intense. As soon as they defeated the general in charge, they’d be able to reclaim the stolen parts and their HP would fully recharge. That was one of Keith’s favorite bonuses to the game since he didn’t have to try and find something to replenish it. He had just danced out of reach of the Boss waiting for Shiro’s attack when it turned and flung Shiro off to the side.

                Keith bolted up in bed and watched as Shiro’s HP became dangerously low. If he wasn’t careful and got hit again, the next attack would do him in and Keith would be left alone to deal with this guy alone. He had less than half of his HP left which meant they were getting into dangerous territory. He just hoped that this wouldn’t be one of those cases where the Boss would restore his HP when he was almost defeated. Then they really wouldn’t have a chance to finish him off.

                He drove his character forward and made several slashes against his back, making him roar in anger. Keith was tense behind his computer screen, but pleased that his HP was still going down and had reached the orange level. A few more hits and he would be in the red, the lowest zone. He danced away from a retaliation and saw Shiro get to his feet in the corner of the screen. The Boss took one heavy swing forward, but Keith dodged and got under his arm, hitting him again, but got scratched slightly.

                He took several steps back to regroup and adjust. His HP was still at a decent level and he wouldn’t die unless the Boss’s HP re-filled. Keith thought a few more hits should do it when he saw Shiro rush from behind and nearly had to stop himself from shouting at his computer screen, making a disgruntled noise instead. He let out a sigh of relief a few moments later when his attack connected and drained the Galra of the last of his HP.

                Keith slumped back against his pillows and rubbed his hands over his face.

 

_SpaceSpade: Don’t fucking scare me like that._

_Spacedi: It was a calculated risk._

_SpaceSpade: YOU COULD’VE LOST THE REST OF YOUR HP!!_

_Spacedi: But I didn’t._

Keith rolled his eyes, but didn’t send a response. The extra parts appeared in the center of the clearing and hovered above the ground, waiting to be claimed and he made his character stalk forward as angrily as possible to retrieve them.

 

_Spacedi: Hey…did your HP refill?_

                Caught off guard, Keith looked at the corner of his screen where his own character’s stats were displayed and was surprised to find that it hadn’t.

 

_SpaceSpade: No_

_SpaceSpade: Do you think it’s a glitch?_

_Spacedi: I don’t know. If the boss was going to come back we wouldn’t have gotten the spare parts. Let’s just head back to the stranded crew and see what happens, maybe it’ll happen after we hand over the spare parts._

 

_SpaceSpade: Okay…_

The two trudged back through the forest in the direction of the stranded cargo ship and their lions. He was expecting something to jump out of them and engage them in another fight. He supposed that was the reason why he was walking slightly in front of Shiro’s character. He had to make sure that his HP didn’t fall to zero in case a surprise attack came. But nothing happened.

                They arrived back at the main sight to find the group where they’d left them. Their lions hadn’t moved either. They walked up to Rolo and handed over the spare parts in order to complete the mission.

 

_Rolo: You really helped us out here by retrieving our spare parts. We really appreciate it and are glad we can finally get out of here. After all, we have a certain delivery to make now that the supply’s arrived…_

_SpaceSpade: Shiro…_

The computer world around them started to shake and shudder as something drew closer and closer on the horizon. It was a huge Galra-even bigger than the boss they’d just defeated-and very angry. Keith now knew why their HP hadn’t been replenished and why nothing had happened with the boss. It was because this was the final stage of the Boss. And Shiro had barely any HP left. He was so distracted by his thoughts that he nearly missed the message that popped up in the corner of his screen.

 

_Spacedi: LIONS! NOW!_

                Keith didn’t need to be told twice. He raced back towards where his red lion was left and felt relieved that he could actually board it again. He quickly settled in and felt a surge of renewed confidence now that he’d be fighting with the full HP his lion had instead of his character’s diminished HP. He took off immediately, following closely behind Shiro’s black lion who’d taken off first. As they came closer to the final Boss, he noticed that it was the size of a very small tree, which meant serious trouble for them.

                Dropping slightly underneath Shiro’s line of flight so he wouldn’t accidentally hit him, Keith powered up his lion and sent a powerful laser blast at the Boss. The shot knocked him backwards onto his back, but unfortunately only barely made a dent in his HP. Keith groaned, understanding that this was going to be one of those fights. He was at least reassured by the fact the lions had strong defense systems and wouldn’t take as much damage from each attack as they would if it was their characters facing off against the Galra.

                He watched as Shiro swooped in for an attack himself, clawing across its body as he was still struggling to get to his feet, barely avoiding a retaliatory swipe sent his way.

 

_SpaceSpade: Same tactics as before?_

_Spacedi: Seems like the only way we’re even going to be coming close to beating this thing. Those two attacks only lost him a few HP._

                The Boss had regained its footing and Keith moved in, drawing his attention away from Shiro. He kept just out of reach, forcing him to follow so Shiro would be able to come up behind him and get some damage in. The last second before he managed to make contact, however, the Boss whirled and brought a hand around, just barely grazing the black lion, but causing damage just the same.

 

_Spacedi: I don’t think that’s going to work this time._

_SpaceSpade: Yeah…or at least not so simply. Let’s try again. I’ll distract him first, follow my lead, and be ready to dodge._

_Spacedi: Roger._

                Keith’s lips quirked at the response, but he forced himself to focus on the fight. He flew in close, getting the Boss’s attention. Just like before, Shiro moved in behind him, but was ready this time and dodged the attack aimed his way. Once the boss was momentarily distracted by swiping at Shiro, Keith flew in and landed a heavy hit, immediately retreating to a safe distance.

 

_Spacedi: I can’t believe it…that actually worked. Alright, my turn!_

                Keith full out grinned as the two of them went through a different maneuver, landing another hit. They didn’t pause after the attack and immediately started another, using the Galra’s mass against him.

                The two of them were so close to defeating him and completing the mission. They’d each taken a few more hits than they would’ve liked, but those had always happened when the Boss’s tactics shifted because of the loss of HP and they had to move quickly to avoid further damage. This time it was Keith who was closer to being out of HP than Shiro who had a little under half of his remaining. He was circling lazily just out of reach of the Boss waiting for the time to make his move so Shiro could drop in and land a shot.

                He dived quickly, avoiding the first attack and came up underneath him, barely avoiding another as Shiro charged for his back. He landed his hit and Keith went to return to his position, but saw the Galra coming after him for being so close. His eyes widened. He didn’t have enough distance to avoid the attack and if this hit caught him, he’d be done and Shiro would be left alone, one shot away from beating the mission.

                Moments before it made contact, Shiro’s lion flew in front of him and took the hit, cutting his remaining HP in half. Using the hit as a distraction, Keith flew up underneath the boss and delivered the last strike, rendering its HP to zero. The boss froze before breaking into shards and disappearing. Keith breathed a sigh of relief as the message appeared telling them they’d successfully completed their mission.

                The second they landed back in the castle, Keith let out a little bit of a hysterical giggle. They were so close to losing that mission… Shiro definitely had balls. Keith could give him that.

 

_SpaceSpade: Are you suicidal or something?_

_Spacedi: Not really. And I wouldn’t call it suicidal when it’s my character risking HP instead of me actually dying. I would’ve respawned anyway so it’s not a big deal. Besides, if I’d let it attack you, you would’ve been done._

_SpaceSpade: You’re insane_

_Spacedi: The good kid of insane though, right?_

_SpaceSpade: God, I don’t even know. I can honestly say I’ve never played with someone like you before._

_Spacedi: I’d imagine you wouldn’t if you’re not normally up gaming at 2am._

_SpaceSpade: Crap, I hadn’t even realized it’d gotten this late. I should probably get to bed since I have class tomorrow. This was fun._

_Spacedi: Do you think we could game again sometime?_

_SpaceSpade: Yeah, Shiro. I’d like that._

                Without giving him time to respond, Keith logged out of his account and scrubbed his face with his hands. He was honestly wide awake and didn’t know how he was going to calm down enough to actually go to sleep. He was feeling incredibly giddy after such a great night of gaming and Shiro seemed really cool. He’d obviously known what he was doing, anyway.

                He shut down his computer and crawled out of bed, replacing the device in his backpack for when he’d have to go to his classes tomorrow. Keith walked over to his dresser and grabbed his pajamas, hoping that a warm shower would be enough to calm him down before he made an attempt at sleep. How such a horrible day had been turned around was beyond him, but he was grateful for it either way.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back with another chapter! Yay! I was pleased with the responses I got on the first chapter so here, have some more Keith and Shiro. :)
> 
> Oh and just a note. I'm not sure if I'll get around to updating this before school starts, but my classes start on the 24th and updates are definitely going to slow down. I have 4 fics going on and I'm hoping to update one every week, but I may get lucky and be able to update more often which would make me super happy. :)
> 
> Cheers!
> 
> <3 MOLIM

                Keith groaned when his alarm went off five hours later. He slapped his hand across his bedside table until he found the offending piece of technology and shut off his phone immediately bringing blessed silence over his bedroom. He rubbed at his tired eyes and pulled himself from bed, looking around blearily.

                “That’s the last time I stay up gaming until 2am on a Wednesday night,” he muttered, grabbing clean clothes from his dresser before walking into the bathroom and starting the shower.

                It was times like these that Keith wished he was lucky enough not to have classes on Fridays so he could sleep in after what was surely going to be an exhausting day of school and work. His mind wandered as he went through the motions of washing himself almost robotically. Once he was finished he shut off the water and stepped out of the bathtub, drying himself with a towel quickly.

                Yawning, Keith pulled on his clothes and carried his pajamas back to his room, deciding to ignore his unmade bed that morning. He picked up his backpack where it’d been left the night before and set it on top of his desk, exchanging the textbooks for his Wednesday classes for those he used on Thursday. He slung the bag over his shoulder and walked towards his kitchen, immediately starting the coffee pot. Keith knew he was going to need all the caffeine he could get and would have to make do with what he could make at home, not having the time, or the money, to run to Starbucks every day.

                As the machine brewed noisily, he fixed himself a quick bowl of cereal with the last splash of milk left in the carton. He ate with his back leaning against the counter, not in the mood to sit down and suspecting that if he did, he’d be having great difficulty getting back up again. Keith’s eyes roved around the kitchen. He would most likely need to shop for groceries over the weekend and wasn’t looking forward to determining what his budget for that would be. Luckily, his rent for the month had already been paid which always was a bit of a relief when he had to calculate his other expenses.

                Keith placed his empty bowl in the sink and grabbed a mug from the cabinet, nearly filling it to the top with what would hopefully give him a much needed boost for the day. He drank his coffee black, more out of necessity than anything else. Expenses were already tight enough and he didn’t have money to spend on creamer and sugar when he needed to buy actual food to eat. He sighed as the mug warmed his hands and the liquid warmed him from the inside.

                As he drank his coffee, Keith pulled his phone from his pocket and checked his email to make sure that he didn’t miss any important emails from professors. Unable to decide whether an empty inbox was a blessing or a curse at the moment, he pocketed his phone and drained the last dregs of his coffee from the mug. He grabbed the travel mug from the cabinet and filled it with what remained in the pot. Resigning himself to the long day ahead, Keith grabbed his backpack and keys and walked out of his apartment.

                He was thankful that he was able to find an apartment so close to campus that he could afford with both his savings and his job. He often considered the possibility that managing the rent would be easier if he had a roommate, but most other students either lived in the city and stayed with their parents or lived in the dorms. Not many wanted to have the additional financial responsibilities that Keith had, not that it was exactly his choice. And he wasn’t about to put an ad out that could possibly end in his death if someone really shifty decided to look into it.

                There were a few other students who were up and bleary-eyed like him, making their ways to 8am classes. Most students were lucky enough to only have a handful of early classes over the course of their college career. Keith being an engineering student, was not so lucky.

                “Keith!” He turned at the sound of his name just as he was mounting the steps to the science building to find Hunk hurrying up the sidewalk towards him.

                “Hey, Hunk,” he greeted as his friend got to the top of the steps where he was waiting. They walked through the double doors together and down the main hallway past the first few empty classrooms.

                “You doing all right? You look exhausted,” Hunk commented, looking concerned.

                Keith gave him a weak smile. “I just had a late night and didn’t realized how long I’d stayed up until I looked at the clock and it said 2am.”

                Hunk gave him a pat on the back as they walked into their half-full classroom. “Were you gaming again?”

                Keith smiled sheepishly. “Yeah. Work was rough yesterday and I needed something to take my mind off it.”

                The two friends took their seats in the middle of the classroom. Keith pulled out his laptop and pulled up the powerpoint for the day’s lesson so he could follow along and take notes, draining the last of the coffee in his travel mug as he did so. The professor walked in moments later and he did his best to prepare himself for the day, hoping that he would manage without a problem and wouldn’t risk falling asleep in any of his classes.

                Keith trudged down the steps in front of the science building with a heavy sigh. Now that his classes were over for the day he hoped to have a little time to breathe and unwind before having to go to work, which would, undoubtedly, prove to be absolute hell. After his first class that morning, he and Hunk had separated for the day. He didn’t usually see his other friend, Pidge, on Tuesdays and Thursdays. He didn’t see her that much regardless since she wasn’t an engineering major like him and Hunk were.

                He pushed into his apartment and moved into the kitchen. Keith pulled open the fridge door and found it perilously empty.

                “Looks like I’ve got nothing for dinner in there,” he said with a sigh. The freezer was in a similar state apart from the box of frozen waffles and half a bag of french fries. Keith pulled open his cabinets revealing a few cans of soup and several packets of ramen.

                “Ramen it is then,” he said, pulling one of the packets from the shelf and getting to work boiling the water for his meal. It wasn’t as though Keith wasn’t used to having to eat ramen by now since he didn’t have many options, but he would’ve liked to have something else to eat before going to work at the restaurant.

                Sitting down with his bowl of food at the table, he pulled his laptop from his backpack that had been discarded on the table. Sometimes he was lucky at work and there would be a dish that had been sent back or some leftovers that they would let him take if no one else wanted them. He always appreciated the kind gesture since his coworkers didn’t know how much that occasional meal helped him out.

                Keith pulled up the online homework sets his teachers had assigned him, figuring he could get through some of the problems before having to go to work. He opened his textbook to the lesson and pulled out some scrap paper and a pencil. The extensive need for math in engineering had been a blessing when he chose the field. It was all very concrete and understandable, which was one of the main reasons he chose the field. Keith enjoyed knowing that there was a definite answer to what he was working with and what he came up with would either be right or wrong.

                His ramen had long been finished by the time he pushed his paper, now filled with numbers and equations, aside. He closed his laptop and carried his empty bowl to the sink, knowing he’d have to do the washing up when he got home from work. Keith crossed his apartment and entered the bedroom. He kicked off his shoes and grabbed his uniform from the closet, stripping out of his clothes quickly. The restaurant he worked at was by no means fancy, but he was still expected to look nice, being a bartender and all.

                The past few years he was forced to shuffle from job to job since no one seemed to want to keep him on staff for a long time. Keith honestly didn’t understand why since he was completely professional at work, but it was just something that he had to work through. Once he’d finally turned 21 he applied to be a bartender at his current workplace and had been there ever since. He was incredibly thankful to have gotten a job there. The staff were amazing and everyone was nice. It was true that he had to deal with some shitty people at times, but most of it made up for it and provided a steady source of income so he didn’t have to worry as much about affording rent and college.

                Keith pushed through the back door of the restaurant that was a couple of blocks away from his apartment complex and headed over to the computer in the back room that was set up for workers to use to clock in. He logged into his account, able to input his information without even paying attention and clocked in.

                “Afternoon, Keith!” Maya greeted cheerily as she turned into the kitchen with an empty tray in hand.

                “Maya.” He walked into the main body of the restaurant which wasn’t too busy at this time of day. A few college students were there doing work with their friends, but Keith was glad he had some time to settle in before the dinner crowd arrived. George was already waiting behind the bar as he walked behind the counter.

                George had started working at Moe’s shortly before he had. He had some previous experience at bartending and Keith was glad to have some help as he was learning how to handle everything and make drinks. It also helped that George was such a personable guy. He interacted easily with customers which wasn’t always Keith’s strong suit, especially when he was first starting out in the beginning.

                “Hey, Keith!” he said enthusiastically.

                “George,” he acknowledged.

                “I thought you had today off?” he asked as he finished wiping down the bar with a washcloth.

                Keith shook his head. “Tomorrow, but I work a double on Saturday so I’ll be here all day then.”

                George gave him a sympathetic look. “That’s rough. At least you have Friday night free.”

                Keith just shrugged. He wasn’t about to explain that he needed to work as many hours as possible to afford college.

                He groaned as the last customers left for the night and they were able to finally start their close-down duties which meant tidying up the bar and wiping everything down. Sometimes they helped with washing the glasses, but thankfully weren’t tasked with that that night. Keith felt like he was about to fall asleep standing up. Being around so many people was so mentally draining on him. It’d been a long day and he really wanted a chance to sit down or sleep.

                He clocked out quickly, rushing through hurried goodbyes with his coworkers and breathed a little sigh as he walked out to be greeted by the cool night air. He always found the walk back to his apartment relaxing after a long day at work, no matter how much his feet were killing him and he just wanted to rest. He didn’t have to worry about interacting with people and just having time to himself to not worry or think.

                Keith was grateful for the amount of schoolwork he’d gotten done earlier. All of his assignments for the next day had been completed and he could get some much needed sleep. Except for the fact that he felt himself being drawn back to Voltron. He wondered briefly if Shiro was on despite the late hour.

                After entering his apartment, he walked over to the sink, turning on the tap and pouring some dish soap in the warm water. He washed the dishes quickly since there weren’t many to do and left them to air dry in the drain board. He picked up his laptop that had been left on the kitchen table and brought it into the bedroom with him. Keith left it on his bed while Voltron was loading and worked on pulling off his uniform. He pulled on his pajamas and brushed his teeth quickly before settling under the covers and pulling the computer to him.

                There were a few more people in the Castle than when he’d spawned the night before. He was surprised to find that he had a notification blinking in the corner of his screen. Keith clicked on it only to find that it was a friend request from Shiro. Feeling pleased that he’d reached out to him, he accepted the request easily. At least this way when he logged on to play he’d know when Shiro was online or not and they could more easily team up for missions.

                Absentmindedly, Keith started looking through the missions that he still had left. There were only a few single-player runs that he hadn’t completed, meaning he’d have to start looking for other players to team up with for the harder missions. He was about to click on one of the few missions he had left that he could do by himself when the chat box popped up.

 

_Spacedi: Hey Keith_

_SpaceSpade: Hey. I didn’t realize you were on._

_Spacedi: I just logged on. Want to do another mission?_

_SpaceSpade: Yeah, I should have time for one._

                The two of them started another one of those so-and-so took this and we need you to get it back for us. Keith just hoped that it wouldn’t turn into the situation that happened the night before where they had to go back and defeat the Boss’s power-up a separate time. Their chat stayed quiet as they battled their way across a plain. There were fewer places for enemies to hide which was a bonus since they could see things coming. But that also meant that they didn’t have anywhere to hide or anything to divert attacks from themselves while they thought up a strategy.

                Keith was a little worried when they finally made it to the Boss stage. His HP wasn’t as full as he would’ve liked it to be and hoped that it would be enough for him to make it through this battle.

 

_Spacedi: Hang back until we can figure out his attacking pattern. I don’t need you losing any more HP on me for being reckless._

_SpaceSpade: Fuck you, I’m not reckless._

                He was a little relieved that Shiro had asked him to hang back if he was being honest. He really wanted to be able to survive this fight long enough for the two of them to win and complete it. Keith was close to a level-up and if he managed to survive long enough on this mission then he was sure he’d get enough XP to make it. He was also surprised that Shiro had noticed where his HP was sitting. He told himself that it was probably because he didn’t want to lose this mission either.

                He was relieved when his HP was replenished after the Boss had been defeated. Keith’s HP had been dangerously low by that point and he would’ve been done with one more hit. For most of the fight he’d been sitting tensely in bed and finally managed to relax now that it was over, practically melting into the bed. Shiro returned the stolen artifact to the people who’d given them the mission and the two players were immediately taken back to the Castle where there were even fewer players than before.

                Keith felt his eyelids getting heavy now that the stress from the mission wasn’t there to keep him awake. It was ironic when he thought about it because this was just a game and didn’t have an impact on him in the real world. He checked the time and saw that it was getting close to midnight. Definitely an improvement from the day before, but he needed to get some sleep so he wasn’t absolutely dead the next day.

 

_SpaceSpade: I’m gonna have to call it a night. I stayed up way too late last night and I don’t feel like absolutely dying in class tomorrow._

_Spacedi: Oh, okay._

_Spacedi: Do you think…I mean I don’t want to push and if you’re not comfortable doing it that’s totally fine, but…_

_SpaceSpade: What is it?_

_Spacedi: Do you think that the next time we game we could use headsets? I figured that would be an easier way to communicate compared to trying to fight and complete the missions and type at the same time._

                Keith was surprised that Shiro was so willing to ask for something like that. He didn’t even have one since he’d never had a use for it. There was a local used game store down the street that would probably have something cheap that he could buy. He’d just need to make sure he had the money in his budget which wouldn’t be too hard since he was going grocery shopping over the weekend. Keith might just have to cut some funds from that and he’d do fine.

 

_SpaceSpade: Sure. I think that’d be pretty nice and it would certainly make things easier._

_Spacedi: Great! I’ll talk to you later then._

_SpaceSpade: Yeah. Night._

                Keith logged out of his account and sat back into his pillows, deep in thought. He usually wasn’t one to make purchases on a whim like this, especially if it was for things that he didn’t really need, but there was something about Shiro. Something that made him want to talk to him more and get to know him. It was like having another friend. Someone that didn’t know about his situation and allowed him to be himself without all of the worries and bullshit that came with it all.

                Smiling, he shut down his computer and set in on the floor next to his bed. Keith settled down under the covers and closed his eyes. Tomorrow he’d head to the gaming store after classes to buy a headset. He had tomorrow night off so there was nothing from stopping him from gaming with Shiro for a few hours. It would be a nice break before having to go to work on Saturday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback, comments, and kudos appreciated!
> 
> my-one-love-is-music.tumblr.com


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! So I'm back with another chapter. If you hadn't guessed I started school and things have been absolutely crazy. So far I've managed to stick to my personal goal of updating one of my fics a week and this week is Be My Player 2?! I didn't edit this extensively (I actually just got done writing it an hour ago) so it might suck a little because I spent most of my weekend trying to break a world record, which my team did!!! How cool is that??!!!
> 
> so anyway....have another chapter! 
> 
> Cheers :D
> 
> <3 MOLIM

                Keith woke up far more well-rested than he probably had all week which was strange since he didn’t get that much more sleep the night before than he usually did. He rolled over and shut off his alarm finding that it didn’t sound quite as annoying as it did when he was exhausted beyond belief. He crawled out of bed, careful of his laptop that was sitting in its place on the floor where he’d left it the night before and headed into the bathroom to take a quick shower.

                Most college students hated having classes on Fridays. For one thing it was rare because most classes only met two days a week. Even though Keith did have classes on Fridays he didn’t mind it so much because it was his less busy day. It also meant the weekend was coming up so he didn’t have to worry about getting his homework done for the next day.

                He showered and dressed quickly, grabbing his laptop and backpack before walking into the kitchen. Keith popped the last two frozen waffles into the toaster and pulled up his bank account while he waited for them to cook. He had about a hundred dollars to spend on groceries for the next two weeks. He figured that he could block out twenty-five for the headset he would have to buy that day.

                Keith thought over what he would need to buy from the grocery. He still had some ramen and soup that he could make which would take out the cost of a few meals. He knew that the fruits and vegetables that he wanted would be the most important things on his list. He’d have to cut down on his meat and could buy a carton of eggs instead for protein. If he had enough money left, Keith knew he’d probably buy a package of burgers to keep instead of the fresh cuts of meat.

                Satisfied that he would have to figure a few more things out when he was actually in the store, he grabbed his cooked waffles and sat down to eat them with the last bit of butter and syrup he had. Butter would be another thing that he’d need to buy when he went shopping. The syrup he could live without, but butter was useful for so many different things.

                Keith left his dishes in the sink and slid his laptop into his bag. He grabbed his keys and slipped his shoes on at the door. Hoping that things would continue to work out in his favor and knowing that he’d hang out with Shiro again that night, he walked out the door and towards the stairs.

                The chilly morning air sent a shiver through him as he walked out the door to his apartment complex and he made a mental note that he would probably have to start wearing a jacket in the mornings now that it was getting colder. Keith wasn’t looking forward to winter. Winter meant warmer clothes and higher electric bills. He just hoped that his winter coat would be able to stand up to the brutal Chicago weather again. Or he’d have to work a new one into his budget.

                Shaking himself from the depressing thoughts his mind was heading towards, Keith looked towards the science building that he was quickly approaching. He only had to get through a couple hours of classes before he would be free to go to the gaming store and the grocery. And then tonight he would have time to relax and play video games with Shiro. Those thoughts would hopefully be enough to keep him from being bored out of his mind and stay on track with what his professors were telling him.

                “See you later, Keith,” Hunk said as they parted after classes.

                “See you.” Keith headed away from his apartment and towards the game store that was a few blocks over. It was a nice store and offered good quality products for being used. He didn’t shop there often because there weren’t many times he had the funds to pay for a new game, but the prices were a lot more reasonable than what he would have to pay for something brand new.

                He pushed through the front door and maneuvered around the people that had crowded around the counter to buy what they’d found among the stacks. Keith walked past the many shelves of games and made his way to the back of the store where old consoles and accessories were kept. It didn’t take him long to locate the used headsets that had been placed inside of a box in the corner. He knelt down and began to look through the various styles. He didn’t need something fancy and was worried the more high-tech he got, the more expensive it would be.

                Keith settled on a simple black headset with a microphone that could be pushed up and down in order to adjust it. He carried it up to the front counter where the crowds had thankfully cleared out and handed it to the cashier who immediately began punching things into the register.

                “That’ll be $12.75,” she said while efficiently wrapping his purchase in a plastic bag.

                Keith’s eyebrows shot up and he pulled out his credit card, surprised how much less expensive the headset was then he thought it would be. She swiped his card and handed it back to him with the receipt once the payment had gone through. He grabbed the plastic bag and headed out the door with a polite nod to the worker.

                He carefully placed the bag in his backpack to ensure that it wouldn’t get broken and continued down the street until he got to the grocery store. He knew that in some cities it was hard to find a full-blown grocery store among the other fast-food places and large scale business, but he was thankful that he lived so close to one. It definitely helped Keith minimize the amount of expenses that he had to make already. He grabbed a shopping basket and started looking through the available produce, heart already feeling lighter knowing that he had a few more dollars that could go towards his purchases.

                Arms loaded with bags, Keith awkwardly forced his key into the lock of his apartment and pushed the door open. It was a relief to finally be back after walking several blocks carrying so many bags, a few of which were significantly heavier than the others. Before the door even had time to shut behind him, Keith was setting his bags down on the floor with as much care as he could muster from his aching muscles and sore arms. Keith kicked off his shoes and walked over to couch, knowing that he would need to start putting his groceries away immediately after the walk he had.

                He pulled off his backpack and checked the headset, relieved that it was still in one piece, even though there wasn’t any reason why it shouldn’t be. He left the headset on top of his bag and walked back to his front door. Keith picked up a couple of bags and slowly transferred them to the kitchen table, making a couple of trips before they were all in the kitchen. Starting with the food that needed to be refrigerated helped him get everything put away quickly.

                Keith walked back to the couch pulled his laptop out of his bag and flopping down onto the cushions. He propped himself up against one of the arm rests and opened his computer. The powerpoints and schoolwork that he’d needed earlier were still pulled up and he exited out of them, content to not have to worry about it until later. Since it was only the middle of the afternoon, Keith figured that Shiro wouldn’t be ready to game until later around the time that they’d met up the past two days.

                Instead of playing his online game, he went to the streaming sight that he often used to movies and T.V. shows. It wasn’t exactly legal, but he couldn’t really afford Netflix and he didn’t have a T.V. He settled back into the cushions and waited for the movie that he’d started a few days ago to load.

                Keith reluctantly pulled himself away from his computer and forced himself into the kitchen. He’d finished the movie and gotten hooked on a T.V. show. He pulled out the half-full bag of French fries from the freezer and set the oven to preheat to the correct temperature. He pulled a baking sheet from one of the cupboards and poured the fries from the bag onto the sheet. As he waited for the oven to preheat, Keith brought his computer over to the table and resumed the episode he was on.

                He went back and forth between cooking dinner and watching his show and was glad when he could finally sit down with his food and finish of the latest episode he’d started. Keith was almost a quarter of the way through the first season when he looked at the clock and realized how late it had gotten. He quickly left his dishes in the sink and grabbed his computer and the headset he’d left on his bag before heading into his bedroom. He settled down amongst the pillows and blankets and logged into his Voltron account.

                Keith tentatively plugged in the headset, not knowing what was supposed to happen or what he should be expecting. When nothing happened he returned to his game and went to his settings to see if he’d need to do anything special to make sure that his setup worked. He found a headset option under the speakers and audio capabilities and waited patiently for everything to automatically update, not having thought that so much needed to go into it. When Keith was able to get back to the Castle area, he found a message waiting for him from Shiro.

 

_Spacedi: Ready to play?_

_SpaceSpade: Yeah, I was just getting my headset all set up._

_Spacedi: Great! Go ahead and click the mic button on our chat box and we can figure this out._

                Checking to make sure that his sound was on, he tentatively clicked the little microphone and waited.

                “Keith?” A voice deeper than he was expecting rumbled through his headphones and made something curl pleasantly in his belly. Keith ignored it and returned his attention to what was going on. He slid his microphone down in front of his mouth and cleared his throat.

                “Yeah…Shiro?”

                “Yup! Sweet. So I haven’t completed this one mission yet where you get dropped off at a water planet and it involves this whole underwater creature thing that’s been terrorizing the inhabitants of the planet and we have to beat it. Are you interested in doing that one tonight?”

                “Uh…sure,” Keith answered while scrolling down to the mission description from the dropdown.

                “Cool.” Shiro sent him the mission request and once he accepted it, the Castle faded away and a loading screen popped up. The line was silent as they waited. Thankfully it wasn’t an awkward silence since Keith had no idea how he would’ve broken it. He wasn’t the best at navigating conversations with other people and often did better when they took the lead.

                Suddenly, the opening clip began to play. It showed the Altean princess giving them their orders that they were needed on this planet to help the people defend themselves against the monster that was attacking them. They were being charged with investigating just what was going on and were warned, once again, that not everything could be as it seemed.

                Once the clip ended, the two of them were left to dive into the water that covered the blue planet. Flying in a lose formation with each other, they directed themselves towards the sea colony that was about a hundred feet under the surface of the water. They found the leader of the colony waiting for them and waited for their instructions as the dialogue box popped up.

 

_Praise to the Gods! Help has finally come! For months we have been plagued by a creature that comes from the deepest depths. Dear Paladins, we are in need of your help. If you can free us from the reign up this monster we will forever be in your debt. Will you help rid of this evil that the demons have brought upon us?_

_ >Yes<  No_

Keith chose the ‘Yes’ option and read along as more dialogue scrolled through.

 

_We are most honored to have your help. You will find the creature in the deepest cave. Be wary of what you find there. Kill quickly, before it kills you._

                “Kind of ominous, don’t you think?” Keith jumped and looked around before remembering that it was Shiro who was talking to him.

                “Uh…yeah. A bit.” He rolled his eyes at himself, not able to believe the reaction he’d just had.

                “You forgot that I was here, didn’t you?” he asked, obviously amused.

                Keith felt his face heat up and was really glad that no one was around to see it.

                “Shut it! I was not.” And now he sounded like a petulant child. This was not how he was hoping this would go, but now Shiro was laughing and…it wasn’t all bad. He’d like to hear him laugh again, actually. “Let’s just find this monster and figure out how to get rid of it.”

                Shiro hummed an affirmation from the other end and the two of them started their ascent downwards. This was the first mission that had brought Keith underwater and he was curious as to how it was going to affect his abilities to fight. It could prevent his laser from working or any number of things. He wasn’t expecting there to be much detail in the ocean and that it would just be a blue expanse. Oh how wrong he was.

                The game designers must’ve put an enormous amount of time into developing so many details. There were forests of vegetation. There were mountains of rock and villages similar to the one they’d first encountered nestled among everything. The one stark contrast was that instead of everything building up as it would on land, it caved downwards into itself.

                “Woah,” Keith breathed and then realized that was probably a stupid reaction to have towards a video game.

                “I know. Is this your first underwater mission? I had the same reaction,” Shiro said almost reverently.

                “Yeah. I was sort of putting off the one underwater solo mission that’s available and haven’t done many partner or group missions. Never really had the people, you know?”

                “You’re missing out. The underwater solo was one of the first missions that I did. I haven’t completed any of the ones that need 3-5 players, but this is my last 2 player water mission. They’re some of my favorites because the animation is absolutely amazing.”

                “I’ve been more of a solo player since I started this game. It doesn’t really work with the tougher missions, but I held my own on the first level options.”

                “Not anymore.”

                Keith looked at his computer screen accusingly. “What do you mean?”

                “You don’t have to be a solo player anymore because I’m going to make sure that you get through all of the 2 player missions and the higher levels. You should get to see some of the stuff that’s waiting for you!”

                Keith opened and closed his mouth several times, trying to think of an answer. Frustrated that he couldn’t think of something to say he grit his teeth together. “Whatever. Let’s just do find this sea creature and get rid of it.”

                He grit his teeth a little less when Shiro chuckled, not that he’d ever admit that to anyone.

                Keith could see why Shiro liked the water missions so much, but he was becoming increasingly annoyed with how fucking big a planet covered in water was. The two of them kept going deeper and deeper into the ocean, but they never came across a cave or something that looked like a cave.

                “How deep is this thing?!” Keith finally exclaimed, frustrated beyond belief.

                “I don’t know. I feel like we should’ve found it by now. How about we do this…if we don’t find it in the next few minutes we just head back and look somewhere else?” Shiro offered.

                Keith huffed out a frustrated breath. “Fine.”

                They continued on and Keith was about to suggest turning back and looking for the cave somewhere else when an opening popped up in the rock that was surrounding them.

                “Thank God,” Shiro sighed. He sounded tired and Keith honestly couldn’t blame him.

                “Let’s get this over with quickly. And I’m never doing another ocean mission. Ever.”

                “No, you have to! I’m sorry, this one did kind of suck, but the other ones are better.”

                “I don’t believe you,” Keith said, piloting his lion through the cave entrance.

                “Then I’ll just have to show you the other missions and make you understand.”

                Keith cleared his throat awkwardly and continued forward, choosing to ignore the comment. He didn’t want to admit to himself how much he’d like that.

                They’d made it a few feet into the darkness of the cave (their lions only emitted a feeble amount of light that didn’t even begin to penetrate the choking blackness) when a rumbling sounded. Rocks began to float down through the water making it even murkier as it swirled around them.

                “Shiro…”

                “Hang on….I think there’s something else going on here.”

                “What do you mean?”

                Keith followed behind Shiro’s lion as he continued to move through the water.

                “If you were some terrifying sea creature only intent on killing whatever came near you, why would you issue something that almost sounded like a warning? I don’t understand it and I think there’s something else that we don’t know.”

                “Do you remember what the Princess said when we first took the mission?”

                “That’s right! That what’s going on here may not always be what it seems. Brilliant, Keith!”

                They hurried forward into the cave. Keith expected it to go on forever like the ocean did, but it opened up into a well-lit cavern so fast that it took him by surprise and he fumbled a bit with the controls. Curled up in the middle of the area was a creature that Keith would compare to the Loch Ness monster. It was watching them warily and he thought it almost looked scared.

                “It looks injured,” Shiro pointed out.

                Keith was about to object but he realized Shiro was right. There were awful looking red slashes on its sides and white scars peppering its deep green skin.

                “Someone’s hurting this creature and they wanted us to come and kill it. But how can we help?”

                Shiro started forward slowly until he was right in front of the creature’s face. A dialogue box popped up suddently.

 

  _Who did this to you?_

                The creature relaxed, sensing the kindness and concern that radiated from him.

 

_The people high in the water. They have hurt me for years, having forgotten the bond that I made with their people hundreds of years before. Please help me. I’m worried that I might die soon._

Piloting as fast as they could, they moved away from the cave and back up to the first city they’d encountered. The trip back was much faster and Keith felt his excitement growing as they approached. What they didn’t expect was to find the city waiting for them, armed and angry.

 

_You failed to kill the monster. And for that, you must die._

                “You don’t understand! You’re supposed to have a bond with her,” Shiro exclaimed desperately.

                “Shiro…they can’t hear you. It’s a game,” Keith said, trying and failing to stifle his laughter.

                “Oh….yeah.”

                Suddenly everyone moved and Keith found himself fighting against a swarm of people, both of their lions back to back as they fended them off. He was really glad that they’d started using headsets that day. There was no way that they would’ve survived this battle without being able to talk to each other or tell each other where to go or what they needed. Keith was really glad that he’d started gaming with Shiro in general. Being a solo player wasn’t all he thought it was cracked up to be. Especially if you were dealing with an entire city of dangerous water-people.

                Keith slumped back against his pillows when they transported back to the Castle. The battle had taken all of his energy and both of them were nearly out of HP.

                “Never again, Shiro. I’m never doing anything that involves water again.”

                Shiro laughed. “Okay. I’ll accept that. For now.”

                “No, Shiro….” he warned.

                “Gotta go, Keith! See you later.”

                “SHIRO I SWEAR TO-DID YOU JUST HANG UP ON ME??”

                Feeling both amused and slightly irritated, Keith powered down his computer and set it on the bedside table. He got up and stretched before grabbing his pajamas and heading to the bathroom to change. He thought back to what Shiro said about the other underwater missions. If he was there with him, then Keith thought it probably wouldn’t be so bad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback, kudos, and comments are always lovingly welcomed and adored. 
> 
> my-one-love-is-music.tumblr.com


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have another chapter!!!
> 
> <3 MOLIM

                Keith groaned at the sound of his alarm. He shut off his phone and buried his head under his pillow, not wanting to get up and start the day. Sighing, he kicked the blankets off himself and rolled over to the edge of the bed. He swung his legs over the bed and stood up, scrubbing his face with his hands to try and wake himself up. Keith trudged through his bedroom door and towards the kitchen.

                He pulled the box of cereal that he’d bought the day before from the cabinet and set it on the counter as he searched for a clean bowl. He picked up the one form the drain board and pulled a spoon from the drawer that housed all of his utensils. Keith poured himself a bowl and sat down at the small table that furnished his kitchen. He sighed and ate his breakfast slowly, desperately willing himself to wake up despite the lack of motivation or the day ahead.

                Keith yawned around his last mouthful of cereal and blinked his eyes a few times to try and get them to stay open. He pushed his chair back and left his bowl in the sink to be washed later. As he walked back to his room, he lifted his arms over his head and stretched, enjoying the feeling of all of his stiff joints loosening after being held in the same position for so long. Keith stripped out of his pajamas and pulled on the dark pants and shirt that made up his work uniform.

                He wasn’t looking forward to working a double shift, but he needed the money and…he needed the money. He slipped his feet into his shoes and tied them quickly. Keith grabbed his wallet, keys, and phone from his bedside table and checked the time as he headed out the door. One of the worst things about working a double shift was that he had to be there for the opening duties. As he climbed onto the bus he could only hope that he wouldn’t be stuck with any of the shitty work.

                Keith sighed in relief as he checked the job list after clocking in. He just needed to go around and straighten the table settings. This was one of the easiest jobs that a person could be given at the start of the day. He didn’t even have to refill any of the containers that were on the tables. He spotted a few bleary-eyed servers as he made his rounds. Keith exchanged tired smiles and polite nods with them, knowing that they’d probably be faced with some pretty shitty customers over the course of the coming day.

                “Everyone to your stations! Doors open in ten minutes,” the manager called from where she was poking her head out of the kitchen door.

                Keith settled himself behind the bar and checked over the bottles of alcohol and the stash of glasses. Everything looked good from the night before and he hoped that the early crowds wouldn’t be too crazy since he’d be on his own until that afternoon when the second bartender would come in. He watched as the hostesses took their position at the front entrance and the doors were unlocked. Keith was dimly aware of the soft classical music that had begun to pump through the speakers. It was moments like these where the restaurant was at its most calm.

                Quickly enough the calm turned into a few people here and there. Drink orders started to trickle in, a small enough number that Keith was able to keep up with them easily enough and even had down time to clean glasses and used shakers rather than send some of them back to the kitchen to be washed by the dishwashers. The small crowds eventually morphed into larger crowds that brought in a constant stream of drink orders. The craziness and mealtime rushes weren’t far behind that.

                Keith was getting to the point where he didn’t know how he was possibly going to survive and get all of the orders filled when the other bartender finally arrived.

                “George! Thank God, I’m drowning in orders here,” he breathed, almost relieved amidst the oceans of salt and slips of paper and bottles of liquor that were a large part of what they encountered every day.

                George chuckled. “How many times am I going to have to save your ass from the dinner rush?”

                Keith’s eye twitched and he narrowed his eyes. “Careful now or I just might switch your salt supply with sugar.”

                George clutched his heart and made his eyes go comically wide. “You _wouldn’t._ ”

                “Try me.”

                Keith and George stared each other down for a few moments before the two of them burst out into laughter. Keith slid a handful of order slips over to George and resumed making the margarita that had been ordered several minutes ago. With the new help, the two of them managed to move through the stack of drink orders much more quickly than Keith would’ve been able to alone.

                Once they’d made it through the backlog, the two bartenders were able to slow down and breathe a little bit even with the constant stream of orders coming from the servers.

                “So how was the day off?” George finally managed to ask.

                “It was a nice break. Not long enough-never long enough.”

                George raised the empty martini glass he was holding in a mock toast. “Ain’t that the truth.”

                “I got some grocery shopping done and hung out in my apartment to game so it wasn’t all bad.”

                “Oh yeah, you’re playing that big, new game aren’t you? What’s it called again? With the two sides and the war-aren’t there giant cats or something?”

                Keith chuckled. “You mean _Voltron_? Yeah, that game. And it’s lions, not cats.”  

                George rolled his eyes. “Whatever, lions are cats.”

                “All right, I’ll give you that one.”

                Keith looked around for the next order that was waiting, but found none. He shrugged and started filling the sink with warm water to clean some of the shakers and glasses they’d used. He grabbed the wash cloth and added enough soap to start up a decent lather. Keith began washing the used drinkware as George continued to make drinks behind him. They worked well together and the silence wasn’t bothersome. In fact, there were few people that Keith was able to work so well with and still get along with quite amicably.

                As he continued to load the drain board with clean dishes, he looked over his shoulder and spotted a lull in the number of incoming drinks.

                “Care to give me a hand and dry a few of these?”

                George looked up at the question and threw Keith a cheeky smile. “Aw, but then I’d miss out on the pretty view.”

                Keith rolled his eyes. “Linnndaaaaa…” he threatened softly.

                “Shh!” George hissed fiercely, looking from side to side. “If you call her she’ll come!”

                “Then do your job.”

                He grumbled good-naturedly and pulled a clean dishtowel from under the sink and began to dry and replace the now clean drinkware. By now the crowds were really starting to clear out and the servers were able to have a bit of breathing room and start some of the closing procedures. They didn’t have long before they’d all be done for the night and by the looks of it, Keith and George wouldn’t have to stay and help out with prep for the next day. It was a surprise for a Saturday, but by no means unwelcome. And one that meant they could get home that much sooner.

                After handing off the last glass, Keith let the water drain from the sink and turned to face the now-empty restaurant. He hadn’t even realized that everyone had already cleared out and they’d just shut the doors. George hung the last martini glass on the overhang and grabbed the dirty cloths that they’d gone through that day, leaving Keith to take inventory and make note of how much alcohol they’d gone through to give to Linda. Once that was done, he grabbed the list and the box of empty bottles and headed towards the back of the restaurant.

                Keith put the bottles with the rest of the trash to be sorted through later and made his way through the crowd of other employees to Linda’s office. He knocked on the open door and was beckoned in when she looked up from her computer.

                “Here’s tonight’s inventory and stock use for the day,” he said, handing off the slip of paper.

                She looked over the list with an approving nod. “Thanks, Keith. Everyone else is taking care of the work in the back so you’re free to go.”

                “See you later,” he called out over his shoulder as he left the office and went to the computer to clock out. He caught sight of George headed out the back and waved before turning to the computer. It’d been a busy day and he was happy to finally punch in his employee code and leave for the day despite knowing he’d be back the next.

                A biting breeze caught him as he stepped out the back door and he shivered. It was starting to get colder and he’d need to start wearing a jacket when he came into work. He wasn’t looking forward to the coming winter. Winter meant cold and cold meant needing heat, but heat cost money. He sighed and shook himself, content to not have to think about that quite yet. Keith turned down the street and headed back in the direction of his apartment, steering clear all the while of the groups of people who were still out late, drunk or otherwise.

                He sighed in relief when he finally pushed his apartment door open. He was tired, too tired to even contemplate making dinner despite being hungry, and kicked off his shoes in the entryway. Keith spotted the dishes that he’d left in the sink and resigned himself to cleaning them after he changed out of his work clothes. He unbuttoned his shirt and let that fall to the floor before pushing his pants down. He threw on the pajamas that he’d left that morning and grabbed his laptop to bring into the kitchen with him while he was at it.

                Keith set to washing the few dishes that were left in the sink as his computer started. He finished the washing quickly and leaned against the counter as he dried the bowl he’d used for breakfast and studied his computer screen as the programs continued to slowly load. He sighed at the thought that he might need to buy a new computer one of these days. That wasn’t an expense that he was looking forward to right now. Or one that he could afford.

                He put his dishes away and grabbed his laptop, opening up his web browser as he walked back to his bedroom. He figured that he could put off a shower until the next morning at least, preferring to climb in bed and see what the world of _Voltron_ was up to at that hour. It was a Saturday after all.

                There were a few more people than usual at that time of night, but most of the gamers had settled down and logged off an hour or two ago. Keith opened up the mission box, but before he could click on anything, he received a notification from Shiro asking to chat. He smiled and looked around him for his headset. Spotting it on the floor, he nearly launched himself from his bed to grab it. Pushing himself back onto the mattress, Keith ended up in some weird sideways position that kind of got him tangled in the covers, but at least he could plug his headset into his computer and talk to Shiro.

                He answered the call and flailed around a bit in bed to get into a comfortable position. Keith laid down on his side and left his laptop facing him so he could see the screen.

                “Hey Keith,” Shiro said, smile audible.

                “Hi Shiro,” Keith said around a yawn.

                “Tired?”

                “Yeah, I had a double shift at work today, so that kept me pretty busy. It was the usual Saturday crowd.”

                “What do you do?”

                “I’m a bartender. It’s pretty steady and gives me a stable source of income to live off of so there’s that at least.” Keith tried, and failed, to stifle another yawn.

                “You don’t really seem to be quite up to gaming tonight if you’re that tired.”

                He tried to stop another yawn and, failing, started to laugh quietly. “Yeah. Not sure how useful I’ll be when I’m this tired. You don’t seem to be too put out at this hour.”

                “Yeah, well… I don’t really get a lot of sleep so this isn’t unusual for me.”

                “Insomnia? That sucks.”

                “Only when I’m tired. Other times it helps me get some work done. I have a lot of free time so that can be a bonus.”

                Keith shook his head even though Shiro couldn’t see him. “Nah, no one should have to miss out on sleep like that. Wish I could do something to help.” His eyelids were starting to get heavy, but he forced them back open.

                “Don’t worry about it. I wouldn’t mind just hanging out and talking though.”

                He hummed. “Okay, but you ask the questions. I don’t think my brain could supply any right now if it tried.”

                Shiro chuckled softly and Keith heard the rustle of fabric over the mic. The sound made this whole thing slightly more intimate. Keith told himself that it was because he was so tired he wasn’t able to grasp the full meaning behind that thought.

                “Okay Keith,” Shiro began and when he spoke this time his voice had become softer. It was quieter and more peaceful, largely different from what Keith was used to hearing during their last gaming session. Another train of thought that he blamed on the fact that he was so tired. “What are you studying?”

                “Aerospace-engineering. You?”

                “Astronomy. It was my dream to be an astronaut when I was little.”

                Keith giggled. “Me too. I always wanted to go up into space. I thought that it would be a great adventure.”

                “Me too. I blame it on the _Star Wars_ films a little bit. They just got me thinking about what’s out there and it all seems pretty cool.”

                “Nerd,” Keith said, laughing breathily.

                “Oh please, says the guy who’s studying aerospace-engineering because he wanted to be an astronaut.”

                “Let me have this.”

                Shiro snorted. “Sure, whatever.”

                “So did you like it?” Keith asked, closing his eyes.

                “Like what?”

                “The new movie. I thought it was pretty good.” Keith thought back on the experience. It had been one of the few times that he’d actually spent the money to go out for an evening instead of waiting until the movie came out on DVD so he could rent it.

                “Yeah, I liked it. Finn was probably my favorite character.”

                “Really? Why?”

                Shiro huffed. “It’s just…he was supposed to be this brainwashed character who did everything he was told, but he chose to think for himself and do what felt right for him. He didn’t want to be another nameless person that killed people simply because his superiors deemed them unworthy to live in the same universe as the rest of them. It says a lot about a person and their character to stand up for what they believe in and make such an important choice that impacts the rest of their life.

                “And I know that his decisions were selfish at first and he just wanted to escape that life all together, but then he got to know Poe and Rey and he saw what they were doing. What they were fighting for and chose to join that fight. He chose to stop running, however reluctant he was at first.”

                Keith stared at his computer screen as silence filled the line. He let himself soak everything in that Shiro had told him. He supposed that it was admirable for Finn to make that type of decision. He was interested to see how it was going to play out for his character in the next film.

                “Keith?”

                “Yeah, I’m here. I’m interested to see what happens with Finn’s character in the next film now. You’ve raised my expectations for him and I hope that I’m not sorely disappointed.”

                “Well if you’re disappointed, then I’ll be disappointed with you.”

                “Sounds like a plan.”

                “Anything that you’re a closeted nerd over?” Shiro asked, breaking the silence that had once again settled between them.

                Keith hummed thinking it over. “I don’t know really. Video games, I suppose, but I don’t really get a lot of play time with school and work.”

                “Come on, there’s got to be something. You’ve seen _Star Wars._ No secret obsession with Batman or Hobbits?”

                Keith made a face. “Hobbits? Really? Ugh. Ew. Just. Ew.”

                “Okay so no Hobbits then.”

                “No Hobbits,” Keith agreed. “Superheroes are all right, but I definitely don’t have a secret obsession with Batman or anything like that.”  He yawned again.

                “Does Neil deGrasse Tyson get you all hot and bothered, Keith?” Shiro said, voice dark and rough.

                Keith spluttered, nearly choking in his attempt to form a coherent sentence. “Shiro! Oh my-why would-I can’t-the FUCK-“

                Shiro cut of his inherent babbling with raucous laughter that rung clearly over the line.

                “Fuck you, Shiro! God, I can’t believe you’d say something like that.”

                “I wish I could’ve seen your face!” Shiro said through gasps. He was still chuckling occasionally and Keith narrowed his eyes at the screen, wishing Shiro could see him so he could flip him off.

                “I’m too tired for this shit. God, I can’t believe you.”

                “Hey, Keith…I bet he can help you explore the cosmos.”

                Keith shut his eyes and hoped to God he wasn’t about to be the first person to murder someone from the other side of a computer. “You’re horrible. You are, you know that?”

                “I’m sorry. I promise, no more Neil deGrasse Tyson jokes.”

                “I don’t believe you.”

                “Good, you shouldn’t.”

                Keith rolled his eyes and tried to stifle another yawn. He settled down further in his blankets and closed his eyes, enjoying the warmth that his comforter gave him draped over his body.

                “I’m not looking forward to winter.”

                Shiro hummed. “Not much one for the cold?”

                He sighed. “No, I’m not. I get cold easily and heat’s expensive.”

                Shiro hummed again. “You could always move south. It doesn’t get too bad down here.”

                Keith perked up a little, his drowsiness and comfort quickly pulling him towards sleep. “Oh?”

                “Yup. Florida’s pretty nice. Except for when spring break’s happening. Then you get a bunch of drunk college kids around here. Although, I always experience that because college and there’s always alcohol everywhere.”

                Keith laughed lightly. “Yeah, but you can do homework at the beach. That sounds like a pretty sweet deal to me.”

                “Yeah.” Keith swore that Shiro almost sounded fond. “It can be. Definitely.”

                Keith felt sleep pulling at him, demanding that he just let go and succumb to his dreams.

                “Keith? You asleep?”

                He hummed vaguely at the prompting.

                Shiro chuckled. “Sweet dreams, Keith. I’ll talk to you later.”

                Keith was asleep before the line even disconnected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback, kudos, and comments are always appreciated. :D
> 
> my-one-love-is-music.tumblr.com


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Progress is made in this chapter. Shiro and Keith become closer. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. ;)
> 
> <3 MOLIM

                Keith blinked his open slowly and came face to face with his blank computer screen. His headset had been pushed from his head overnight and was resting on the keyboard. He dragged a hand down his face and looked around him, the sun streaming through the curtains lighting his room. He pushed himself into a sitting position and looked over to his bedside table, grabbing his phone from where he’d left it the night before.

                He was pleased that it was still well before noon, thinking that it must be later because of how well-rested he was. He didn’t have to go into work until later that night, leaving him plenty of time to work through his homework that was due over the next couple of days.

                He swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up, stretching his arms over his head and groaning at the feeling of his muscles stretching. He grabbed his laptop, setting his headset on the bedside table and padded out of his room and towards the kitchen. Keith set his laptop on the table and moved over to the cabinets. He grabbed the box of cereal and a bowl, pouring a generous amount inside. He left the box and pulled a spoon from the drawer before sitting down at the table.

                He took a bite of cereal and opened his laptop, powering it up and logging in. Keith watched as his computer booted up and his programs loaded, his web browser opening where he’d left it the night before. He watched as the castle loaded on _Voltron._ A message notification in the top corner of the screen caused him to furrow his brow. He clicked on it and stared at the screen, spoon halfway to his mouth.

 

_Spacedi: Sweet dreams! I’ll talk to you later when you’re not half asleep after a full day of work._

                Keith smiled. He felt a little guilty that he’d left Shiro hanging the night before, but they’d had a pretty great conversation. He liked talking to him and thought they could be pretty great friends if nothing else. He finished the rest of his cereal quickly and put the bowl in the sink to wash later.

                On the way back to his bedroom he stopped to go to the bathroom. He grabbed his backpack from his desk and returned to the table, pulling several books and worksheets from it. He spread them across the table and set out an eraser, picking up his pencil to get to work.

                After a few minutes of working in silence, Keith pulled up his Spotify player on his computer and clicked on the playlist of soft piano music that he’d created for when he was working on his homework. The soft sounds filled his apartment and he got back to work on the various math problems that they would go over in his class the next day. Despite the complexity of the math, he found it soothing to work with.

                Keith leaned back in his chair and stretched his arms over his head, feeling his back pop after sitting in one place for so long. He picked up the several sheets of paper that he’d worked through and put them in a pile to the side. A notification from his computer caught his attention and he looked towards the screen, furrowing his brow. He went back to his web browser and saw that he had a new message on _Voltron_.

                He opened up his messages and smiled.

 

_Spacedi: Hey, you’re awake! I’m surprised you didn’t sleep the whole day away. ;)_

He sighed, exasperated and moved to type a reply, fingers moving quickly over the keys.

 

_Spacespade: Okay, rude! I’ve been up for a while now working on homework thank you very much._

_Spacedi: Haha, I’m sorry, but I couldn’t pass up the chance to poke fun after you fell asleep on me last night._

_Spacespade: :p You didn’t have to talk to me, you know. And I was tired. You try working a double shift as a bartender at a restaurant and not be dead afterwards._

_Spacedi: Okay, okay. What are you working on anyway?_

_Spacespade: I just got done with some physics problems. I have a few calculus worksheets to get through next._

_Spacedi: Ugh, physics._

_Spacespade: Hey it’s not that bad! Besides, it’s relaxing work after I’ve had to do nothing but work and deal with people._

_Spacedi: I suppose. Not my favorite subject though. I prefer astronomical imaging regardless of how important math is to my field of study._

                Keith stacked his books up at the side of the table and pulled his computer closer to himself.

 

_Spacespade: Sadly, I don’t get to do much work with the astronomy side of things such as looking at stars and taking pictures._

_Spacedi: Pity. You feel like gaming later?_

_Spacespade: Sure! I have another shift tonight so I’ll be back when we usually get together._

_Spacedi: Cool. I should probably get through some of my own work, too._

_Spacespade: Yeah, probably. I don’t think professors will accept extensive gaming in their curriculum._

_Spacedi: No need to be rude!_

_Spacespade: Oh, so it’s only okay for you to be rude and poke fun?_

_Spacedi: :p Yes._

_Spacespade: Uh huh, sure. I’ll talk to you later. It’s best if you don’t distract me from my schoolwork. I can’t go failing out of college anytime soon._

_Spacedi: Fine, fine. I’ll talk to you tonight._

                Keith shook his head and grabbed his calculus book, pulling out the problem set that had been assigned for their next class. He grabbed his pencil sharpener and sharpened his pencil while considering his first problem. He set the sharpener aside and pulled his eraser close just in case, immediately getting to work.

                It was several moments before he noticed that his music had stopped playing. He paused in his work and looked up, going to his Spotify to find out that his playlist had ended and he hadn’t realized it. He clicked through several things, looking for something else to listen to and decided on an album of video game music that had been played by an orchestra. The music filled the room, the notes coming softly from his computer’s speakers.

                He checked the time and looked over the rest of the problems he had to work through. If he kept his current pace he should finish before he needed to get ready for work and head off to the restaurant. Sighing, he put pencil to paper and got to work once again.

                Keith rubbed at his eyes and pushed his papers away once he finished with the last problem on his worksheet. He checked the time and groaned. He only had thirty minutes before he’d have to leave for work and he needed to eat something before he left. He sighed and pushed his chair back, moving over to the refrigerator and pulling the door open to inspect the contents.

                He ended up pulling out one of the few microwave dinners that he let himself buy and ripped open the box. He set it in the microwave and set the timer before tossing the box in the recycling. While he waited for his dinner, Keith returned his books and papers to his backpack, closing his laptop and carrying both things back to his bedroom. He heard the microwave beep and hurried back to the kitchen, pulling his hot food from it and setting it on the stove, careful not to burn his fingers.

                Keith pulled the plastic cover from the tray and added that to the garbage before pulling a fork from the silverware drawer. He mixed his food and carried the container over to the table, holding it carefully by the edges. He sat down and tucked into his meal, enjoying the hot food after not having eaten anything else all day besides breakfast.

                Once he was done, he deposited his fork in the sink with his dishes from breakfast and dropped the empty plastic container in the trash. He walked back down the hall to his bedroom and pulled his last clean pair of black pants and black shirt from his dresser. He sighed and looked over at his laundry basket that was nearly overflowing with clothes. He pulled off the shirt that he’d fallen asleep in the night before and exchanged it for his work shirt, pulling his pants on over his boxers a moment later.

                Keith grabbed a clean pair of socks from his dresser and slipped them on, stuffing his feet into his shoes a moment later. Remembering how cold he’d been after work the night before, he pulled his favorite jacket from where it was hanging in his closet, loving the red, white, and yellow coloring that was on it. He slid his arms through the sleeves before picking up his wallet, keys, and phone from where he’d left them on the bedside table and heading out the door.

                He shivered when he stepped out of his building, grateful that he’d made the decision to bring a jacket along. Fall was coming along in full swing and he knew that it wouldn’t be too long before snow would start to fall as the temperature dropped even further. He walked down the street quickly, hands buried deeply in his pockets. Maybe Shiro was right and he should move somewhere south where it stays warmer longer and he wouldn’t have to deal with the cold.

                Keith pushed through the backdoor of the restaurant and was greeted with the not-quite muffled sounds of the workers in the kitchen and the dim murmur of conversation that was drifting back form the main dining area. He walked over to the computer and punched in his employee ID quickly to clock in. As he walked down the hall towards the dining area, he pulled his jacket from his shoulders and folded it up in his arms.

                He weaved his way through the tables towards the bar area where one of the workers who he didn’t know as well was silently mixing drinks. Keith walked around the counter and shoved his jacket into a bin underneath the bar before washing his hands at the available sink. After drying them off with a paper towel, he grabbed a slip of paper that was on a very small pile and began collecting the necessary glass and mixers.

                The silence that passed between them wasn’t as fun as the usual banter that he and George shared when they worked together, but Keith wasn’t entirely complaining. He wasn’t friendly with very many people at the restaurant mainly because he wasn’t comfortable with everyone there, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t work well with them and get along, regardless of the quiet and silence that permeated their interactions.

                The hours passed quickly, the two of them receiving a constant stream of drink orders which wasn’t exactly out of the ordinary for a Sunday night. He’d be more concerned if they were overwhelmed with orders that included mostly hard liquor rather than the wine that was often desired. By the end of the night, they were mostly hanging around not really doing anything since the crowds had slowed down and most of the patrons had already left the restaurant, needing to get home and get in bed before heading off to work the next morning.

                Keith watched as Linda herded the last guests out the front door and locked up behind them. She turned back to the main area and nodded, a tired smile pulling at her lips.

                “Head through the closedown procedures everyone. Once you’re finished, you’re free to go for the night.”

                Keith loaded the rest of the dirty classes and mixers into a bin and carried them towards the back room as Neil took down their inventory and wiped down the counters. He dropped the bin off with the rest of the washers who nodded at him and added the new things to the sink. When he walked back down the hallway he passed Neil who’d just handed the list off to Linda and was clocking out. He hurried back to the bar and grabbed his jacket from where he’d left it before his shift, slipping his arms through the sleeves as he walked back to the computer.

                He clocked out quickly and waved at everyone as he walked out. The cold air bit into the skin of his cheeks and he wrapped his jacket further around himself, holding it close and tucking his hands underneath his armpits. He ducked his head and covered the sidewalk quickly, not wanting to be out in the wind any longer than he needed to be.

                Keith pushed into his apartment and shut the door behind him quickly, locking it and rubbing his hands together to generate some warmth. He walked into his bedroom and pulled off his jacket, hanging it back up in his closet and toeing off his shoes. He grabbed a pair of sweatpants and exchanged them for his work pants before climbing into bet with his laptop and headset.

                He put his pillows behind him and leaned back while waiting for _Voltron_ to load. He plugged in his headphones and watched as his character popped up in the middle of the Castle entrance. He felt excitement bubble up inside of him. He fidgeted slightly as he waited, staring at the screen and the lack of other players.

                The incoming call tone pulled him from his thoughts and he accepted it easily.

                “Hey, Shiro!” he said, happily.

                “Hi Keith! Someone doesn’t sound like they’re about to pass out tonight,” he said, chuckling.

                “Yeah, I had a much easier go of it today at work. I’m ready to do some gaming before I have to go to sleep and wake up again tomorrow.”

                “Glad to hear it, because I have an idea of what we can do tonight!”

                “And what’s that? You’re certainly excited.” Keith was grinning so hard his cheeks were starting to hurt. He never would’ve realized how much fun he could have while working with someone else.

                “Don’t worry, it’s not another water mission. There’s this one on a pretty desolate planet that’s sort of like Mars, but not. I don’t really know how to explain it, but it’s pretty cool.”

                “Okay. Let’s go then,” Keith said, already scrolling through the list of available missions until he found the one that Shiro was talking about.

                He clicked on it and watched as the screen faded to black before the loading image popped up and showed how much time they had left. Soon enough, the image changed again and Keith was met with a hazy yellow planet that his and Shiro’s characters were standing on. A text box appeared at the bottom of the screen:

 

_You’ve reached the planet Murgelfar. There is a known element that is essential to ship building located here. It is traded widely on the market and used in parts making. You have been tasked with retrieving a store of this element located in the northern plane and bringing it back to the Castle for distribution. Take caution as not all inhabitants of this planet appreciate having their resources sold no matter how much it benefits them and their economy._

                Keith heard a faint rumble over his headphones and assumed that it was probably a storm that was rolling in on Shiro’s end, shrugging it off.

                “Okay, so we just need to head to where the element deposits are located? Doesn’t sound too bad,” Keith said.

                “Yeah. Just watch out for some of the inhabitants. They like to surprise you.”

                Keith frowned at Shiro’s tense voice. He’d sounded fine a few moments ago.

                “Okay. Ready to go?”

                “Yeah.”

                Their characters started forward across the yellow sand and dirt. Keith’s eyes scanned the screen and the expanse in front of them. He heard another low rumble over his headset and shrugged it off, certain that it was coming from Shiro’s end now.

                They’d only taken a few more steps when suddenly something burst up out of the sand. Keith equipped his blade and moved in to attack the creature, swiping a few times and easily taking down the creature. He turned and found Shiro’s character standing in the same place as before.

                “Shiro? Is everything all right?” Keith asked, his concern growing.

                “Yeah. Don’t worry about it, I’m fine.”

                Keith frowned at Shiro who still sounded tense. He was about to open his mouth to ask again when another rumble sounded followed by a quiet whimper from the other end of the line that he suspected wasn’t entirely voluntary.

                “Shiro…are you…afraid of thunderstorms?”

                “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for this to ruin or game night. I can go.”

                “No!” Keith burst. He swallowed and collected himself. “No, it’s okay. We don’t have to keep playing. If you just want someone to talk to, I can be here.”

                The line was silent for a moment. “Okay,” Shiro said, quietly.

                Keith pulled them from the mission and brought them back to the Castle. He set his laptop to the side and settled down against his pillows, facing his computer screen. He heard the rustle of fabric from the other end and could just imagine some faceless guy wrapping himself up in a comforter and shutting his eyes to try and block out the storms. He wondered what Shiro looked like. If he was big or small, muscular or skinny…

                Keith cleared his throat. “So there was this man at the restaurant today…” he trailed off, hoping that this line of conversation would be fine with Shiro.

                “Yeah?” he croaked.

                “Old guy, probably in his 50s or 60s and was there with his family. He was a really funny guy, cracking all these jokes to the wait staff and his family. So his daughter, at least I think it was his daughter, could’ve been a daughter-in-law or something else, anyway, his daughter orders this steak, right? And when she gets it she tells their waiter that it’s a little too rare for her. So this guy turns to the waiter and tells him that their prices are pretty good for selling such a treasure.

                “Oh, it was such a terrible joke, but this guy thought it was so funny and started laughing at himself. The waiter smiled and took the food back to have it cooked a little longer. He just made things so easy for all of us. It’s nice when there are customers like that.” Keith chuckled.

                “Do you get along with everyone you work with?” Shiro asked quietly.

                Keith hummed. “Yeah, I think so. I’m not as friendly with everyone as I am with George, but there isn’t anyone I fight with or can’t work with, so it’s not too bad. Since I’m behind the bar I don’t have to deal with too many asshole customers either which is nice. I don’t think I’d ever be able to handle working at a real bar and getting harassed by customers who aren’t happy or are drunk or whatever.

                “My friend Hunk tells me that I work too much, but I need the money. And it’s not like I’m doing anything indecent. If I could get paid to play video games all day, I’d do that, but that’s not going to happen. Ugh, being a college student is such a joy. But enough about that, it’s bad enough that tomorrow’s Monday and I have to go back to classes. At least my homework load for the weekend wasn’t too bad and I’ve gotten some decent sleep. I can’t say that’ll last for the rest of the week though. It’s something that I’m used to anyway.”

                As he kept talking, Keith thought about the fact that he’d never talk this much with someone that he didn’t really know, but found that he was comfortable with Shiro as crazy as that was.

                “I have this other friend named Pidge. She’s not an engineering major like Hunk and I are, but we’re all really great friends. Whenever we have time we’ll get together and watch movies or do something else. A lot of people underestimate Pidge and Hunk, but they’re the best people I know. We all met freshman year and I’m so happy that we did. I don’t know where I’d be without those two by my side.”

                “They sound nice,” Shiro whispered. He sounded more relaxed and now that Keith thought about it, he hadn’t heard any thunder for a while.

                “They are. I think you’d like them.”

                “I’d like to meet them.”

                The two of them were silent for several moments.

                “Are you going to be okay?” Keith asked.

                “Yeah. Thanks, Keith. It means a lot. That you stayed on to talk to me, I mean.”

                Keith smiled. “I’m glad I could help in any case.”

                Keith closed his eyes and listened to Shiro’s breathing.

                “I have anxiety,” Shiro began.

                “You don’t have to tell me this or explain yourself,” he protested.

                “It’s okay. I want to. I don’t do well with loud, unexpected sounds-ergo thunderstorms-or when people surprise me by moving in when I don’t expect them to or grabbing on to me without me noticing them. For the most part, I’m okay with dealing with all of it and usually when there’s a storm I just buckle down and ride it out. But you helped a lot tonight. Thank you.”

                He felt his chest tighten at Shiro’s words. “You’re welcome. Talk to you tomorrow?”

                “Definitely.”

                Keith bit his lip. “Good night.”

                “Night.”

                He exited out of his web browser and shut his laptop. He set it and his headphones on the floor and rolled over, pulling his blanket up to his chin. He closed his eyes and felt himself relax, ready to get some sleep before his classes the next day even though his brain insisted on forcing him to keep think about Shiro and his fear of storms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback, comments, and kudos are always appreciated. 
> 
> my-one-love-is-music.tumblr.com


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas, happy holidays, merry winter! Whatever you celebrate or don't celebrate, here's a fic update for you!!!
> 
> Cheers!
> 
> <3 MOLIM

Keith sighed when his alarm went off. He blinked open his eyes open and grabbed his phone where it was placed on his bedside table and shut off the noise. He reached his arms over his head and stretched, feeling more rested than he had in weeks. He huffed happily and grinned up at his ceiling, chuckling to himself.

                He sat up and threw the covers from himself before crawling out of bed. He stuck a hand underneath his shirt and scratched at his stomach as he walked out into his apartment to head into the kitchen. He grabbed the box of cereal and a bowl from the cabinets, pulling the cardboard flaps open and pouring a generous amount into his bowl.

                Keith carried his breakfast over to the table and lifted a spoonful to his mouth before hurrying back to his bedroom to grab his phone. He didn’t have any texts from any of his friends, but he usually didn’t at the beginning of the day. He’d see them later at school anyway. He sat back down and tucked into his breakfast, eating quickly even though he wasn’t running late.

                He left his dishes in the sink before dashing back into his bedroom to throw some clean clothes on. Once he was dressed and had brushed his teeth, he shoved his laptop and books into his backpack. Keith stuffed his feet into his boots and grabbed his jacket before stuffing his wallet and phone into his pockets and heading out the door for class.

                He shivered when he pushed through the front entrance to his apartment complex, the wind tearing at his clothes. Winter was drawing nearer and nearer and Keith was in no way prepared for the weather that was coming. Chicago loved to bring the freezing temperatures and record snowfall. Something that made getting to class super fun since classes were rarely cancelled during the winter months unless the whole city basically had to shut down.

                Keith pushed through the doors of the science building and rubbed his hands together frantically to try and get some warmth back into them.

                “Keith!”

                He looked up at the sound of his name and grinned when he saw Hunk and Pidge hurrying towards him.

                “Hey guys. What are you doing in this area of the science building?” he asked Pidge.

                Pidge rolled her eyes. “So I’m not allowed to come in her now? I do have the occasional class in here. I swear just because I’m not majoring in engineering like you guys…” she huffed.

                Keith grinned. “We lost you to your obsession with technology instead.”

                Pidge stuck her tongue out at him.

                “Anyway…we were thinking of doing something together this weekend. Maybe a movie night or something. Or we could go out and see a movie. Anything really. We just haven’t done anything in so long,” Hunk said, happily.

                “Yeah, I think that’d be a great idea! Staying in and having pizza and watching a movie will be a nice break since mid-terms are coming up next week.”

                “Sweet! We can do it at my place this time if you want,” Hunk volunteered.

                Keith felt relief wash over him since that would be one less thing that he would need to spend money on.

                “That sounds great! I might need another movie night next weekend to get over the stress of mid-terms and just relax. I have Saturday night off this weekend so if the two of you are free then, that’s when we can have this.”

                “All right!” Hunk exclaimed.

                “Sweet,” Pidge said before checking her watch. “I have to get to class, but I’ll talk to you guys later. See ya!”

                Keith and Hunk waved her off before heading towards their respective classrooms. He pushed through the door of his room and found a seat in the middle of the room. He pulled out his computer and opened up his word document to begin taking notes as the professor walked in.

                “Good morning, class,” she said, setting down her folder of files on the table in the center of the room before leaning back against the edge of it. “Now, as you all know mid-terms are coming up next week. The material that we have covered thus far is fair game since it’s all built on each other. What we go over this week is going to be included as well so make sure that you gain a thorough grasp of it and ask any questions that may come up. Remember that this mid-term counts for almost as much as the final exam will at the end of the semester.

                “Any questions before we begin?” She looked over her students’ faces and found no complaint. “Very well, let’s begin,” she said, moving over to the computer that was set up in the room.

                Keith’s eyes flicked between the board and his computer as he diligently took notes. He wasn’t too worried about this class-it was one of his strongest that he was taking-but there was one that he was nervous about taking his mid-term for. He was struggling in one of his other science classes. Well, struggling wasn’t the right word, he was passing and he had to put in a large amount of work to pass, which was what was stressing him out. He was worried that if his grade managed to fall too low, than that would cause his GPA to fall and he’d lose some of his scholarship.

                Every time his old worry would arise, he would tell himself that he was just being anal since one class couldn’t drop his GPA that much, but he also knew that poor grades over time added up and he needed to remain vigilant and be cautious to avoid any slip-ups.

                “That’s everything for today. I’ll see you all later this week. Remember that if you have any questions, to get them answered before it’s too late. It’s best to understand the mathematics and theories behind all of this so that you can adequately answer the application questions.”

                Keith saved his notes before shoving his computer into his backpack and heading out the door to his next class. He navigated the slightly crowded hallways easily, avoiding the large groups of people waiting for classes or moving together to lunch. He darted up the stairwell and made his way to the second floor where his other class was. He leaned against the wall opposite of his room and waited for the class before his to let out.

                He pulled out his phone to check over his email and found something from the financial aid office in his inbox. He had to stop himself from letting out a groan of frustration. He was really not in the mood to have another meeting about his finances. It usually wasn’t bad news, just designed to help him stay on top of payments, but he always left feeling dejected and annoyed.

                He opened up a reply and sent back a confirmation email that he would be available to meet on Thursday between his classes. He looked up when he heard the door get pushed open and stuffed his phone into his back pocket and waited for the rush of students to clear out before he shuffled inside and took his seat towards the middle of the room. He pulled out his computer and opened his notes, looking through them quickly to review before the lesson.

                Keith sighed as his professor dismissed them from class. He did his best to shake off the stress that was prickling at the back of his mind, determined not to think about it. He knew that he could pass this mid-term. He knew that everything was going to be okay. He just needed to get through the next week and focus in class and make sure that he actually did all the work and did it _well._ He closed his computer and packed up his things, noticing that half the class had already walked out and he had to get to work. He hadn’t been late once and he wasn’t about to start making a habit of it when keeping his job was so important.

                He pushed past the crowds in the hallway beyond and made his way towards the staircase. He hurried down it and pushed out the double doors, shivering when the cold air ruffled his jacket and got to his skin. He pulled the flaps of his jacket closer around him and ducked his head, hurrying across campus and down the sidewalk towards his apartment. It was a relief when it finally came into view because it meant that warmth was at hand.

                Keith hurried through the building and pushed the door to his apartment open, kicking his shoes off inside. He set his backpack down on the couch and shrugged off his jacket before working on stripping himself of the other clothes that he was wearing. He had a little bit of time before he’d need to leave for work which meant changing and getting something to eat, and possibly doing a bit of work to relieve the burden he’d have later that night.

                He pulled out his work clothes and changed quickly before heading back out to the kitchen to make some lunch. He pulled out one of the many ramen packets that he had sitting in his cabinets. He left the noodles to boil in the water on his stove as he retrieved his backpack form the couch and pulled out his computer and worksheets. He set everything out on the table and finished cooking his lunch, taking a seat and putting pencil to paper.

                Keith let out a frustrated groan when he got done with his worksheet. He honestly hated the class that it was for because the homework always left him frustrated and feeling stupid. Shaking his head at himself, he pulled up the answers to the worksheet that the professor had posted online. He’d come up with the right answers to three-quarters of the questions, but still had some areas where he could improve. He circled the numbers of the questions that were wrong and left a not to redo those later and make note of any questions that he had before his next class with that professor.

                Checking the time he stiffened and rushed to put his dirty dishes in the sink and grab his wallet, phone and keys. He nearly sprinted out the door and down to the ground floor to make it out to the sidewalk. He rushed down the street, quickly darting around people as he made his way to the restaurant. He wasn’t late, but he would definitely be cutting it close. Far closer than he would’ve liked. Keith hated feeling rushed and whenever he lost track of time it left him with an odd sense that he was forgetting something and usually put him off the rest of the day. He really hoped that today would not be one of those days.

                He pushed through the back door of the restaurant, chest heaving. The kitchen staff greeted him as he made his way through and he returned their greetings. He clocked in quickly and pulled off his jacket, relieved that he’d just barely made it.

                “Cutting it kind of close today, aren’t we?” Linda asked, with an understanding smile as she walked by.

                Keith winced. “Yeah, sorry about that. I was preoccupied getting some of my homework done.”

                She waved off the comment. “Don’t worry about it. You weren’t actually late in any case and schoolwork is important. Go ahead and head to the bar. A lot of drink orders will probably start coming in regardless.”

                Keith gave her a grateful smile and folded his jacket over his arm before pushing through the door to the main room. He weaved through the tables and made his way behind the bar counter. The worker there nodded at him before washing his hands and pulling his own jacket on. He grabbed the dirty mixers and glasses and brought them back to the kitchen for cleaning on his way out.

                Keith walked down the bar, checking the stores of alcohol to make sure he wouldn’t run out of anything. His first drink order arrived and he got to work, falling back into the easy atmosphere of mixing drinks and soft music that could be relaxing every once and a while.

                He sighed when the last costumers left for the night and he could leave. It was a pretty light evening for him since it was a Monday, but he was grateful to be done and head back home. He wiped down his counters and took a quick inventory before pulling his jacket on and heading to the back of the restaurant. He dropped the list off with Linda and exchanged quick goodbyes with her before dropping off his dirty tumblers and heading out the back door and into the cold night.

                He shoved his hands deep into his pockets as he made his way back home. The streets were nearly empty, the streetlamps providing dim and yellow light along the sidewalk since most of the shops were closed. He kept his head down and walked quickly, wanting to get out of the cold as quickly as possible.

                Keith rubbed his hands together as soon as he pushed inside. The warmer temperature of the building was a welcome relief after the brutal walk. He stifled a yawn as he shrugged off his jacket and headed into the kitchen. He shuffled all of his papers together and left them in a stack before booting his computer back up and logging onto _Voltron._ He brought the computer back to his bedroom and settled down on top of his comforter, plugging in his headphones and setting them on his head.

                He accepted the incoming call that was beginning to feel almost routine at this point.

                “How’s it going?” Shiro asked.

                “Pretty good. I’m not looking forward to next week though. It’s time for mid-terms. Ugh.”

                “Ew. I can understand the feeling. I just got done with mine last week.”

                “Really?”

                “Yup. I’m glad to be done in any case. It’s a welcome relief.”

                “I’m sure,” Keith said, sighing. “I think I’ll do fine. It’s just getting through them and finishing all of the exams.”

                Shiro hummed his agreement.

                “So what did you want to do tonight?”

                “I figured we could get through the mission that we started last night and actually finish it this time. As long as no freak storms roll in.”

                Keith chuckled. “No such thing as a freak storm.”

                “No such thing as a freak storm,” Shiro mimicked. “Yes, thank you, Keith.”

                “Any time. Come on, let’s do this.”

                Keith was taken back to the yellow planet that he’d been on the night before. He relaxed, the familiar game and movements comfortable and Shiro’s active presence in the game comforting.

                “Oh come on,” he snarled, punching ferociously at the keys.

                “Relax, Keith,” Shiro said, trying to calm him, but he could hear the edge in his voice. “Let’s try that maneuver again. There’s got to be some way that we can beat this boss.”

                “I feel like we’ve tried this a dozen times and nothing seems to be working.”

                “No, there has to be a way.”

                Reluctantly, Keith followed Shiro’s instructions and made to attack the monster that they were battling. His eyes widened when he finally detected the pattern in its movements.

                “There, Shiro! Take that opening!”

                Much to his relief, Shiro’s character rushed forward and his hit connected, taking a large chunk out of the monster’s hp.

                “Again,” Shiro said.

                “You got it.”

                Keith moved forward and was pleased when they continued to drain the monster’s hp bar. He groaned, relieved when it finally hit zero and the thing disappeared. He scrubbed his hands over his face, completely ignoring the text that popped up on the screen announcing that they’d beat the level and completed his mission.

                “God that was tough,” he muttered.

                “I know,” Shiro said, laughing. “Good thing we weren’t battling that thing in real life.”

                “You got that right. I don’t know how I’d survive if I was suddenly forced into space to pilot some giant mechanical lion weapon thing. Plus if you die out there then you’re dead.”

                “Uh…”

                “Sorry,” Keith said, wincing. “I made it morbid.”

                “Don’t worry about it. It’s getting pretty late anyway and I’m sure that you’re tired and need to get some sleep.”

                Almost as though he was proving Shiro’s point, he yawned loudly.

                “Well I can’t argue with that. See you again tomorrow, right?”

                “Definitely!”

                “Later, Shiro,” Keith said, sitting up in bed.

                “Later. Night, Keith.”

                He smiled as they disconnected and he pulled his headphones off. He stretched his arms over his head and checked the time, groaning when it was later than he thought it was. He shut down his computer and pulled himself from bed. The least he could was get a shower in before he decided to get some sleep. He’d feel better the next morning if he was able to wake up nice and refreshed and not worry about taking a shower before having to head off to class, because he knew that he wouldn’t want to try and squeeze one in between classes and work, that would be a different kind of hell.

                Keith pulled off his work clothes that he hadn’t bothered to change out of before and headed into the bathroom, turning the hot water on and as high as he dared to let it go before stepping under the warm spray, sighing as the water washed over his skin and provided some warmth and relief.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback, comments, and kudos are always loved and appreciated and help keep me going!
> 
> Find me on tumblr as my-one-love-is-music.tumblr.com


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off, holy cow I'm over 200 kudos with this fic! Thanks so much everyone!! I can't believe so many people have read this!!! 
> 
> Anyway, after this update things are going to start slowing down again. I'm boarding a flight to Scotland tomorrow for a semester abroad which means classes are going to pick up again soon which also means I'll be back to only updating each of my fics once a week. 
> 
> However, happy new year to everyone reading this! I hope things are going well for you and 2017 continues to bring good things! ^.^
> 
> Cheers!
> 
> <3 MOLIM

                Keith groaned at the sound of his alarm and pushed himself up in bed. He had a few hours before his first class, but he needed to get some homework done before he could head off to campus. The night would be a long one since he wouldn’t have time to get back to his apartment before work. He reluctantly pulled himself from the warm covers and shut off his phone before heading into the kitchen where he left his work the night before. Yawning, he prepared himself some breakfast, looking at the dirty dishes with disdain as he sat back down at the table. He would need to take care of those later as well.

                He groaned in frustration and ran his hands through his hair, exasperated. He gave his hair a few good tugs before setting down his pencil and looking at his worksheets, feeling utterly defeated. He’d gotten a few of the problems that he’d missed the day before right. Sighing he stared down at the pages in front of him and felt the stress building at the back of his head. He wouldn’t be surprised if it developed into a splitting headache that left him whimpering and clutching his head in bed.

                Keith erased his work for the last two problems that he got wrong and looked down at the ruffled paper, willing himself to get the right answer. He checked the time on his phone and was relieved that he still had plenty of time before he would have to leave. Knowing that it wouldn’t do to try and rush his work and force the answers, he pushed his chair away from the table and picked up his dirty dishes and headed over to the sink, thinking he could at least get the pile in his sink washed.

                He let the hot water and soap and the process of cleaning clear his mind. He relaxed as he made his way through the dirty dishes and was feeling significantly better once they were finished. He left them to dry and made his way back to his room to get dressed. He pulled out his work clothes and folded them gently, leaving them on the edge of his bed next to his laptop. He rifled through his dressers and pulled out a clean pair of jeans and one of the few remaining shirts that he had left. He’d need to do laundry soon, but he wasn’t going to worry about that at the moment.

                Keith changed his clothes and collected his work clothes and laptop before heading back out into the living room. He stuffed his things into his backpack before collecting his homework and the rest of his things. He grabbed his jacket and headed out the door, picking his wallet and keys up on the way.

                He ducked his head against the chilly wind that never seemed to abate once the weather began to change. He sighed and looked at the other people walking by, bundled up in their coats and hats. It wasn’t quite too cold for the scarves to come out just yet, but it wouldn’t be long before they did. He hurried through the crosswalk to get to campus and made a beeline for the building that his classes would be in, resigning himself to another day of listening to his professors drone on and threaten them with the mid-term that was looming over their heads.

                Keith sighed and stuffed his things back into his backpack once his final class of the day came to a close. He had about fifteen minutes to make it to the restaurant before his shift was set to start, meaning that he wouldn’t have any time to dawdle or hang out. His stomach growled and he cursed himself for forgetting something small to bring to eat before he would have to get to work.

                He pushed through the back door and walked through the kitchen, making his way to the computer. He punched in his employee number and headed to the bathroom so he could change his clothes. He slipped into the handicap stall and pulled the wad of clothes form his bag, relieved that they weren’t wrinkled too badly.

                Keith walked through the main floor and found George waiting for him behind the counter already. A smile lit up his face and he waved at him around the margarita he was preparing. Keith slipped behind the counter and stuck his jacket and bag underneath the counter before grabbing the next drink order that was waiting to be filled.

                “How’s my wonderful intergalactic space warrior today?” George teased, laughing, as he handed off the finished drink.

                Keith rolled his eyes and reached for a bottle of alcohol that was underneath the counter. “Not too bad for a Tuesday. That’s about it. Mid-terms are coming up next week so that’s not something that I’m looking forward to.”

                “Oh, that’s rough. I’m sure that you’ll do great.”

                Keith set the drink on a waiting tray with its ticket and turned towards the next one, moving around George easily as the two of them worked. “I hope so. Mid-terms are almost as stressful as finals.”

                George shot him a reassuring smile as he picked up the last drink ticket. “Don’t worry. You’ll do great.”

                Keith leaned back against the counter and watched as his coworker finished up his last drink. The two of them settled back and waited for more orders to come in. The night was going to be a slow one for them, not that they were complaining or anything.

                Keith blushed when his stomach let out a large growl, barely pausing his movements before continuing the next order.

                George looked over at him and smirked. “Little hungry?”

                “Yeah. I didn’t have time to eat anything before coming here before work.”

                He checked his watch. “The orders have been pretty light. Why don’t you go ahead and take your break and get something to eat?”

                “Are you sure?”

                George waved him off. “Yeah, it’s no problem. I can handle this.”

                “No, I can’t. You should take your break first, you’ve been here longer than I have.”

                He gave him a look and huffed. “I’ll be right back.”

                Keith sighed and tried to ignore the rumbling in his stomach, resigning himself to a bit longer without food.

                “What is this George tells me that you haven’t had anything to eat today?”

                He looked up in shock to find Linda standing in front of him with her hands on her hips. He glared at George standing behind her who at the most self-satisfied grin on his face.

                “Well?” she asked.

                “I didn’t have time to grab a bite to eat between my classes and having to come in and I forgot a snack.”

                “Well come on then,” she said, turning and heading back for the kitchen.

                “What?” George shoved him out from behind the counter.

                “Go and get something to eat. I’ll be here when you get back and you look like you could use it.”

                Keith followed dumbly after Linda wondering what the hell was happening. By the time he made it to the back hallway, Linda was already pushing back out through the kitchen door and shooing him into her office. He reluctantly took a seat in one of her large chairs and was rewarded with a plate of food in his lap.

                “I won’t have you passing out on the job because you forgot to eat or refused to eat. You’re one of my employees and I’m not going to turn down feeding you when you need it,” she scolded, wagging her finger at him before taking her own seat behind her desk and moving around several sheets of paperwork. When he continued staring at her she looked up. “Less staring, more eating.”

                Keith nodded slowly and picked up the fork that was on the side of the plate, carefully spearing one of the large chunks of ravioli. He took a bite from the pasta and closed in eyes in warm, cheesy bliss. He often got food from the restaurant, but it wasn’t every day that he got to eat something so fresh without having to reheat it. He opened his eyes and turned to his meal with a new fervor, his stomach happy that it was finally getting something to eat. And if he saw Linda smiling a little too fondly at her paperwork, then that was neither here nor there.

                Once he was finished, he left Linda’s office with a quiet thank you and returned the dishes to the kitchen where everyone greeted him kindly. He replied in kind, hurrying back through the door to get back to the bar where George smiled at him.

                “Well, now that you’re refreshed and full of warm food, I’m heading out to take my break, because it’s unfair that you get to have all the fun.”

                Keith rolled his eyes, but took the towel that George handed to him. “I told you that you could’ve taken your break first, but you were the one who set Linda on me and got me taken away.”

                “Well I couldn’t have you passing out on us. The last thing we need is you falling down behind the counter. Everyone would’ve thought that you were sneaking drinks! And then where would that leave us?!” he said, throwing up his hands in mock exasperation.

                Keith snorted and pushed him out from behind the counter. “Just go take your break.” He turned back to the handful of orders that were waiting to be filled and got to work. No doubt George had seen him coming and left them for him instead of doing them himself. As long as he didn’t get a complaint that they weren’t being filled fast enough, he didn’t care.

                As the last customers walked out the door, he reached his hands over his head and stretched his back, feeling much better once his muscles relaxed and he was able to let the tension seep from his body. He quickly took inventory of what they had left and wrote up a list for Linda as George got the last of the dirty dishes and tumblers in a bin to bring to the back for the washers. Keith threw on his coat and grabbed his backpack before heading out. He left the list in front of Linda who waved him off and clocked out, heading towards the back door.

                He practically felt dead on his feet after the long and busy day. The cold air that met him as he walked out the back door helped to perk him up a little bit, but it didn’t do too much. As he walked back to his apartment, he sifted through his mental list of what homework needed to be done for the next day. He had all of his worksheets done, but still had some reading to do. Sighing, he resigned himself to a bit of a late night. He probably wouldn’t have time to game with Shiro either depending on how long the reading assignment was.

                Keith pushed through his apartment door and kicked off his shoes, sliding the lock into place behind him so that he wouldn’t have to do that later. He trudged into his bedroom and set his backpack on his bed before pulling off his jacket and throwing that on top of the comforter as well. He slowly pulled the buttons of his shirt open, fumbling slightly when he couldn’t quite get them through the small hole in the fabric. He let his shirt flutter to the ground on the edge of the overflowing laundry basket and shoved his pants down his hips.

                He shivered slightly as goosebumps raised over his quickly chilling skin and pulled the shirt he’d left on his bed over his head, climbing under the covers as he did so. He grabbed one of the straps of his backpack and pulled it closer to him, sliding the zipper open. He threw his clothes from earlier over to the mound of dirty laundry and pulled his laptop and a textbook out instead. He set his laptop to the side to boot up and opened to the first page of the reading that they had assigned for the next night. He flipped through the pages and was satisfied when it didn’t look to be too long or arduous for one night.

                He stuffed a pillow behind his back as he leaned against the wall, knowing that if he tried to lie down he would only end up falling asleep which was the one thing that he didn’t need in that moment. Keith settled in to read, eyes roving slowly over the words, trying to take as much of it in as possible. He let his fingers skim over the sides of the book, catching on the not quite even sides of the pages and brushing against the groves where the pages pulled apart. The action was soothing and helped him to focus a little more.

                After getting through a page he pulled his computer closer to him and pulled up his homework playlist to have some white noise in the background. He nearly pushed it back, but hesitated, wanting to pull up his gaming account, but knowing that he would kick himself if Shiro was actually on.

                “Damn it,” he said, running a hand through his hair. He clicked on his web browser and pulled up the website, logging in quickly. He got through another paragraph as everything loaded and blindly reached for his headset that was on the bedside table as his eyes continued to move down the page. His hand found the mic and he lifted it over to his lap, pulling on the cord until he found the input. He fumbled along the side of the laptop trying to get them plugged in and smiled once he succeeded.

                Keith slid his headset on and was a little shocked at the swell of music that greeted him, but rolled his eyes at himself when he remembered that he’d just put his studying playlist on. He sat back and continued to read, turning the page as he got more comfortable. The call tone broke through the music, cutting it off and making him jolt at the sudden change. He turned his attention to the screen and clicked on the accept call button before quickly finishing the paragraph that he was on.

                “Evening Keith,” Shiro said happily from the other end of the line.

                “Evening,” he said, distracted, flipping through the remainder of his reading to gauge how much he had left.

                “You sound distracted.”

                “Sorry,” he said, still not giving Shiro his full attention. “I’m just trying to figure out how much reading I have left to do before tomorrow.”

                “Oh, if you have homework to do we don’t have to game tonight.”

                Keith’s gaze jerked over to the screen almost thinking that he’d see Shiro’s face there. He sounded almost…disappointed by the possibility Keith might have homework to do.

                “I’m about halfway through it and it’s not too long so I shouldn’t have a problem gaming with you tonight.”

                “If you want to go ahead and finish it now, I can wait. At least then you won’t have to fight against sleep if you get tired while we’re gaming.”

                Keith smiled. “You sure? I don’t want to bore you while I read.”

                “Yeah, yeah. It’s no problem honestly. I can do something while I sit here and chill. And you don’t have to stay on the line if you don’t want to.”

                Keith felt his face heat up. “I mean…if it’s too much of a bother…”

                “No! No, it’s okay. I’ll just be here,” Shiro said in a rush.

                Keith bit his lip and ducked his head to look at his textbook, once again having to remind himself that Shiro wasn’t actually there and couldn’t see his reaction. “Okay.”

                The companionship was nice, even though Keith couldn’t see what Shiro was doing. He’d catch little bits of what sounded like him breathing, slow and relaxed and sometimes Shiro would start humming without realizing it, stopping when Keith joined in if it was a song that he knew. Once he’d finished the last page of his reading, he shut the book and clutched it to his chest, leaning his head back against the wall and closed his eyes. He wanted a few more minutes of just being able to listen to Shiro. He thought that it helped him get to know him better, since they really hadn’t shared much personal information.

                He sighed happily, relaxed after such a busy and hectic day, not caring how out of the ordinary it was for him to be so comfortable with another person. That didn’t matter. None of the outside world mattered. It was just him in his room and his friend Shiro on the other end of the line. He didn’t have to put up any walls or hide himself. He could just _be_ and let any worries or stress fall away. It was nice and he didn’t want to give it up.

                “Shiro?” he asked.

                His humming stopped. “Sorry, was I bothering you?”

                “No! No…I’m just finished with my reading so if you wanted to play through a mission or something. We could…do that,” he trailed off awkwardly.

                “Oh! Yeah, sure. Give me one second.”

                Keith let his book fall to the floor and readjusted the pillow behind his back as he shifted into a more comfortable position. He heard the distant rustling of fabric or something on the other end and assumed that Shiro was moving or getting comfortable.

                “Okay. So tonight I was thinking…”

                Keith let Shiro’s voice wash over him and turned his attention to the game, listening to his explanation and watching as they shifted to a new mission. And if he smiled a little to fondly at his computer screen…well, there was no one around to call him out on it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback, comments, and kudos are always appreciated!
> 
> You can find me on tumblr as my-one-love-is-music.tumblr.com


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I got a bit behind on writing this week which made this chapter up a bit later, but I'm having lots of fun so that's what counts. 
> 
> I know a lot of people were looking forward to this new chapter so thank you all for your support and for reading and I hope that you enjoy reading more about our lovely space nerds. (I binge-watched the new season Friday and oh my god so many feels!!!)
> 
> Cheers!
> 
> <3 MOLIM

                Keith groaned at the sound of his alarm and pressed his pillow over his head. He did not want to get up. He was exhausted and had work later that day and was just not in the mood to interact with people. Normally he wasn’t this bad off on a Wednesday, but he could pretty much guess the reason why he was so tired. And it had everything to do with a certain Floridian with a deep, soothing voice-and it was way to fucking early to go there right now.

                Sighing, he shoved his pillow away and snatched his phone from where it sat on the bedside table, angrily swiping his thumb over the screen to silence the annoyingly chipper music that was issuing from the speaker. For a few too long moments he considered just rolling back over and burrowing underneath the sheets. That was something that Keith had never let himself do before and he probably shouldn’t start now. Too many things were on the line and as much as he wanted to, fucking off from the world would have to wait until he had a break from classes in a month.

                Keith kicked his blankets off of his body, shivering slightly when the cool air washed over his skin and raised goosebumps. He hurried out of his room, grabbing the last clean pair of clothes that he owned, and into the bathroom for his shower. He turned on the water as warm as he was willing to let it go and stripped out of his pajamas before stepping under the spray. He could let himself indulge a bit this once and maybe when it really started to get colder outside, he’d let himself take one hot shower to fight off the chill.

                He left some bread in the toaster and took a few minutes to tidy the things in his room. He packed his backpack for the day and shoved his dirty laundry into the large tote that he used to take his things down to the wash room that was provided to their apartment. When Keith had first moved into the place, he’d taken the time to compare the prices for the washers and dryers to the laundromats around town and found that he was getting a better deal by using the facilities offered, and they even seemed to be in slightly better condition than the more public places.

                He threw his laundry soap and fabric softener into the bag as well before carrying it and his backpack out into the main room, leaving the two bags by the couch. He wouldn’t have time to do his washing until that night, but he had an earlier shift at the restaurant which meant he’d be home earlier than usual. And he could at least work on some homework while he waited for his laundry to finish. It wasn’t unusual for the other tenants to find him lounging around among the machines while his things were getting taken care of.

                Keith heard the toaster release and pulled the small tub of butter from the fridge and a knife from one of the drawers. He buttered his toast quickly and stood at the counter to eat it while checking his email on his phone and any texts that he’d gotten overnight or that morning. In his group message with Pidge and Hunk, Pidge had told them that she got two six packs of beer for super cheap. Keith smiled and sent back a reply with his encouragements. He felt like he should be bringing something for their get together over the weekend, but knew that if he tried to say something, his friends would just insist he was making a fuss over nothing.

                Instead, he continued to eat his toast and told himself that he wouldn’t let himself feel bad about it. He could save up and get something nice for their next get together. Checking his watch, Keith picked up his second slice and set his plate in the sink before grabbing his backpack and heading out the door. As soon as his feet hit the sidewalk and he was greeted with a blissfully sunny morning, Keith felt marginally better than he had when he’d woken up that morning. There was nothing standing in the way of making his day a good one even if mid-terms were looming on the horizon.

                Keith slipped around the groups of people that were lingering to enjoy the sunshine on their way to class. He would’ve liked to have had more time to kill to enjoy what was one of their last days of pleasant weather, but classes were calling and he had a busy day ahead of him. He pushed through the doors to the engineering building, nearly knocking into someone on their way out and wove through more groups of people on his way to his classroom. He was about to question why there were so many more people on campus when he realized that he’d been witness to the start of the campus tour season. Rolling his eyes at the disruption, he pulled open the door to his classroom and slipped inside, taking his seat quickly. He pulled out his computer and let it boot up in front of him as he took out his homework sheets from Monday.

                Keith stuffed his things back into his backpack and hurried from his last class, hoping to catch a few more rays of sunshine on his way to work, but he was sorely disappointed when he pushed through the doors to the building he was in. Some clouds had blown in and were currently blocking the sun and the clear blue sky. He sighed and shuffled down the sidewalk. He had a bit more time to get to work than he had the day before and he was going to enjoy it as much as he could. Remembering what he’d grabbed on his way out this morning, he pulled a granola bar from the side pocket of his bag and tore the wrapper open, grateful to have a bit of food in his stomach after a day of classes.

                He pushed through the back door of the restaurant and was greeted half-heartedly by the workers back there, tired after their already long shifts. The conversations among the cooks were muted as they went through their work and completed the few orders that were coming in during the middle of the day.

                Keith clocked in quickly and walked the rest of the way down the hallway and turned towards where the bathrooms were located. He pushed inside, skirting around another man on his way out and slipped into the handicap stall, letting his backpack fall from his shoulder as he reached down to unzip the pocket and pull out his work clothes. He changed quickly and washed his hands before making his way around the bar counter.

                The other worker gave him a tired and grateful smile and quickly made his exit towards the back where he could leave. Keith slipped his backpack under the counter and busied himself with rearranging the different bottles of alcohol as there weren’t any current orders that needed to be filled. He always thought the middle day shifts were a bit strange. He wasn’t at the restaurant early enough to get to leave when the second shift came in, but he wasn’t there late enough where he would stay until closing. It was always strange, but most of the time he did get to leave with a to-go box of dinner in his hand.

                He looked around himself. The counters were spotless, the glasses arranged as they should be-all of the dirty tumblers and mixers having already been taken to the kitchen-and now all of the bottles in their places. Not much to do on a Wednesday. It almost made him wish that he was back in his apartment, but that would mean missing out on more money that was easily being made. Besides, other than homework, he didn’t have anything to do until that night as it was.

                The corner of Keith’s mouth quirked up as a waiter walked over to him and handed him a slip…to which he rolled his eyes and shared a knowing look with the other man. Of course the first order that he got would be a Bloody Mary. At least that was better than a Gin and Tonic or something else that middle-aged and elderly women ordered at Sunday brunch. He prepared it quickly and left it on the counter for when the waiter came back around to collect it. After that, the dinner crowds began to file in and every half hour an order for a glass of wine would come in, and, finally, his co-worker.

                Between the two of them there was hardly anything to do and Keith was nearly shoved away from the bar when the end of his shift came so that the other worker could at least keep himself busy. Keith couldn’t blame him. He probably would’ve done the same thing if it meant being kept busy and not crushed under boredom that he had no way of abating in a fancy restaurant.

                He shook his head at his coworker and collected his things before heading towards the back. As he was clocking out a voice spoke up behind him.

                “Oh good, you haven’t left yet.”

                He turned to find one of the cooks standing in the doorway smiling at him.

                “I was just about on my way out actually.”

                “If you wouldn’t mind hanging around a few more minutes we can whip something up for you to take home for dinner.” She turned and held the door open for him as they entered the kitchen.

                “You don’t need to do that.”

                She waved his comment away. “It’s no bother really. And with it being a weekday we’ll probably have a lot of food left over anyway so no one’s going to miss it. And you know that Linda won’t mind. She hates seeing any of her employees go hungry and we’re really not losing money. In fact, our food waste is lower because we don’t throw as much out. Hey Jeff! Whip something up for Keith real quick. His shift just ended and he’s on his way home.”

                Jeff gave a thumbs up and grinned at the two of them before moving to get started on a new dish.

                Keith crossed his arms and leaned up against the wall while he waited. “At least it’s good food. It’s ten times better than anything that I could make at home.”

                “I’m sure that you could come up with something. You’d think that after working in a restaurant for so long you’d be able to come up with any number of dishes.”

                “I’m also behind the bar making drinks, not in the kitchen where all of the cooking actually happens.”

                She hummed her agreement and moved to put the finishing touches on a few of the plates that were waiting to be taken out by their servers. As he waited, Keith mentally ran through the list of things that needed to be done when he got back home. He was in a decent spot with his homework which meant he’d have a bit more free time tonight after cleaning up around his apartment. That also meant he had more time to game with Shiro without having to stay up too late. Tomorrow would be another busy day with classes and work, but at least after that it would be Friday and he could have a far more relaxed weekend to enjoy time with friends.

                He was pulled from his thoughts when a plastic bag was shoved into his hands.

                “There you go. Now get out of here and go home. We’re tired of seeing your face,” the cook said as she shoved him towards the door, pulling an easy laugh from him.

                “All right, all right. I’m going, okay?” His grin softened and he held up the bag of food. “Thanks for dinner.”

                She shook her head and crossed her arms, watching as he turned and walked through the back door. He turned back towards his apartment and stuffed one of his hands in his pocket, using his other one to hold tightly to the plastic bag. Even though it wasn’t likely that he was about to lose his food during the short walk back to his home, he wasn’t going to take any chances. Especially not when they went through so much trouble to put it together for him.

                Keith pushed into his apartment and let the door shut behind him. He left his shoes on and walked towards the kitchen, setting the bag on the counter and shrugging off his backpack and jacket to leave on one of the chairs. He grabbed a knife and a fork from the cutlery drawer and added those to the bag before moving it over to the table.

                He walked through his apartment to his bedroom and pulled off his work shirt as soon as he was through the door, kicking off his shoes and quickly adding his pants to the small pile. He pulled on a comfortable pair of sweats and a loose tee, sliding his feet into some sneakers before grabbing his discarded clothes and headed back to the kitchen. He shoved his clothes inside the laundry bag and pulled his backpack on once again, picking up both the laundry bag and his food before heading out the door and towards the elevator.

                The ride down to the basement was surprisingly quick and he was glad to find the laundry room empty. There were a couple of machines in use, but he at least had the place to himself. He shoved one of the chairs over to the table used for folding and set down his things, being careful not to crush his food. Keith took advantage of the empty room and got his clothes started in several different washing machines before settling down at the table. He pulled his computer from his bag and opened that, navigating to the assigned reading for his next class-and, unable to help himself, pulled up _Voltron_ as well.

                He opened the plastic bag and paused when he noticed two containers inside of it. Normally he only got one. He shoved the bag to the side and opened both of the Styrofoam containers, chuckling when he found a large amount of pasta in one and a gigantic slice of cake in the other.

                “They really decided to treat me tonight,” he said, shutting the box with the cake and setting aside for later in favor of the pasta.

                Keith made it through about of half of his reading before the washing machines began to beep at him that they were finished. He pushed back his chair, finally setting the empty pasta container back in the bag and moved over to take his clothes out and move them into the open dryers. As he was moving his things, the other resident who was coming to pick up his things walked through the door and moved past him.

                Keith returned to his seat just as a beeping started coming from his computer. He switched tabs and smiled when he had an incoming call from Shiro. He turned to his bag and remembered that he didn’t have his headphones with him and that they were still upstairs in his apartment. He denied the call and quickly opened the chat to type out his explanation.

 

_SpaceSpade: Sorry, no headphones right now._

_Spacedi: :( Keiiithhhhhh_

_SpaceSpade: I left them in my apartment when I moved to the laundry room. Now behave while I finish up my reading for tomorrow._

                Keith got a couple of more paragraphs read before he heard the new message notification. Curious as to what Shiro needed he changed tabs.

 

_Spacedi: SIGH. This isn’t as fun as it was the other night._

                Keith rolled his eyes and typed out a quick reply before switching tabs. This time he barely got through a paragraph before he heard the usual sound.

 

_SpaceSpade: You’re just going to have to be patient and wait._

_Spacedi: But Keiithhhhh_

_SpaceSpade: Hush. You’re a grown man. You can wait another half-hour for my clothes to finish and for me to get back up to my apartment._

_Spacedi: But that’s so long._

                Keith ignored Shiro’s last message and returned to his reading. He really needed to get it finished and he didn’t have much left as it was. He’d just have to ignore Shiro for a bit no matter how hard that proved to be. He tried to focus on the words again, but his leg began to bounce impatiently under the table. His eyes flicked over to the page numbers and it felt almost as if he had so much left to read, but he had to get it done. He knew that as soon as he started talking to Shiro, he wouldn’t come back to it which wasn’t something he could afford to do.

                He worried at his lip with his teeth and forced his eyes to stay on the page. He was so close to being done and nearly groaned in frustration when he heard the dryers beep. He was going to finish this before heading back upstairs even if it killed him. Thankfully, Shiro had been quiet after he stopped replying to his messages. If he’d continued to talk to him, there was no way that he would’ve been able to get his work done.

                He sighed and felt a sense of accomplishment wash over him as he was finally able to close out of the reading, leaving his game open in the only other window.

 

_SpaceSpade: I just finished my work. Give me like ten minutes to grab my laundry and head back upstairs._

                He didn’t wait for a reply before shutting his computer and stuffing it back into his backpack. He grabbed his laundry bag and moved over to the dryers that he’d been using, pulling each of them open and shoving the now clean clothes back into the back before shutting the doors to the dryers. He pulled his backpack on and grabbed the bag of food before squeezing through the door to the laundry room and heading for the elevator.

                Keith let his laundry bag fall from his shoulder almost as soon as he walked through his door. He kicked his shoes off and hurried to pull off his backpack and extract his laptop from the constricting fabric. He left it and his cake on the table before dashing into his bedroom and grabbing his headphones from the bedside table, quickly returning to sit in-and nearly fall out of-the chair. He plugged in his headset and opened his laptop sending the call through to Shiro.

                “Finally! I thought I was going to have to wait forever,” Shiro said trying, and failing, to sound serious.

                Keith smiled, happy to once again hear his voice. “You didn’t have to wait that long. And to be fair, you called me before our usual game time.”

                “Well if you didn’t want me to call you, you shouldn’t have been logged into your account. You’re a tease.”

                “Yeah, yeah,” he said, pulling the cake out of the plastic bag and popping the container open. He shoved a large forkful into his mouth and hummed around the chocolate. “What level did you want to play through tonight, anyway?”

                The line was silent for a moment.

                “Are you eating?”

                “Yup,” Keith said, and after his next bite he couldn’t help the small moan the slipped out. The chocolate cake from the restaurant was the best around after all.

                “Well,” Shiro croaked. He stopped and cleared his throat. “We’re nearly finished with all of the two player levels so I thought we could find some more group members and take on some tougher missions.”

                “Do you know of any other free players that could join our group?”

                “Yeah. A couple of my friends play this game, actually and thought it would be fun to do a mission with us.”

                “Okay, sure.”

                “Do you mind if they join our call?”

                Keith paused and speared his slice of cake a couple of times. “They’re your friends so…I trust you. They wouldn’t be complete strangers, I guess.”

                “Cool.”

                Keith watched as two new usernames were added to the call log and waited as they worked to connect.

                “Lance? Allura? You there?” Shiro asked.

                “Commander Sexy reporting for duty,” a chipper voice chimed in.

                “Lance,” Shiro groaned.

                Someone who wasn’t Keith or Shiro sighed.

                “I’m here. Although I wish I could’ve waited a second later to connect so I didn’t have to hear that awful greeting.”

                “Hey!” Lance objected.

                “Lance, Allura, I’d like you to meet Keith,” Shiro said.

                “Uh…hi,” he greeted awkwardly.

                “So assertive. Shiro are you sure this guy can keep up with us?” Lance asked.

                Keith felt a prickle of annoyance at the comment and was just about to retort, but Shiro spoke first.

                “I think you might need to worry about keeping up with him instead, Lance.”

                Keith felt himself flush and looked around to make sure that no one saw, which was honestly ridiculous since he was alone in his apartment.

                “How about we just get to the mission already?” Allura broke in as Lance grumbled in the background.

                “Fine, fine. Let’s tackle the first four-player option on the menu,” Shiro said.

                Keith quickly found it from the drop-down and clicked on the mission. He took another bite of cake as the screen faded to black before opening on a wide shot of a distant green planet. He sat back and readied himself for the gameplay to come, determined to show them just how good he was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback, comments, and kudos are always loved and appreciated. 
> 
> You can find me on tumblr as my-one-love-is-music.tumblr.com


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew. So I actually struggled quite a lot writing this chapter this week and didn't know it I'd get it posted over the weekend, but here we are! I got motivated and figured out where I wanted to go and I gotta say that I'm very pleased with the result. ^.^
> 
> I hope that you're ready for more of our two wonderful boys. 
> 
> <3 MOLIM

                Keith jolted awake as his alarm started blaring right next to his head.

                “Who? What? Huh?” he asked, frantically looking around. He stared down at the kitchen table that he’d apparently fallen asleep at last night and the crick in his neck that was quickly making itself known helped him understand that he was never going to do that again. He pulled his headphones from where they’d settled around his neck and swiped a finger over the trackpad of his laptop while silencing his phone with his other hand. His _Voltron_ account was still pulled up from the night before and he had a message from Shiro waiting for him in his inbox.

 

_Spacedi: Great job, tonight. I’m pretty sure that you just fell asleep in the middle of our conversation, but I can’t be mad when you sound so peaceful. Sweet dreams and I’ll talk to you later. : D_

                Keith immediately felt his face heat up at the words. He couldn’t believe that he fell asleep. He felt like it was always him doing something embarrassing. But he also couldn’t help feeling utterly triumphant over last night’s gaming session. Flashes of the missions that they’d played through flitted through his brain and he remembered how petulant Lance had gotten when Keith had stolen so many points and battle opportunities from him. It also didn’t hurt that Shiro took every chance to throw a compliment his way and let him know how much he as benefiting their team.

                He sighed happily and stretched his arms over his head, feeling several parts of his back and spine pop as they loosened and readjusted themselves where they needed to be. He groaned, feeling so much better despite his neck not being in the best of shape and his level of exhaustion that would no doubt get worse as the day went on. He quickly packed his things into his backpack before pushing his chair back and heading for his bedroom, picking up his laundry bag on the way.

                He threw the bag onto his bed and began to rifle through it, pulling out a clean pair of clothes for the day and his fresh work clothes. Keith changed quickly, foregoing a shower since he could probably get away without taking one until that night. He did take the time to brush his teeth really well since he’d missed doing that the night before and his mouth honestly felt disgusting. He blamed the chocolate cake. Too much sugar.

                As he put two slices of bread in the toaster he finally managed to glance at the clock and realized that he wasn’t running late. He had quite a bit of time before he had to leave for class actually. He shook himself, feeling like he was going a bit crazy with the stress of everything. He just had to remember that it would all be fine and he wouldn’t receive any bad news when he had his financial appointment that afternoon. And then he would have work tonight and tomorrow was Friday which meant he was one step closer to the weekend and to his movie night with his friends.

                When his toast was ready he let himself sit down at the table and eat it slowly, enjoying the relief of leaving a morning rush behind and taking his time. Once he was finished, he left his dirty dishes in the sink and grabbed his backpack before heading out the door. He shoved his hands into his pockets as he hit the sidewalk and ducked his head against the cold wind. He’d have to remember to pull his gloves out from wherever they’d been stowed when he got back home that night. At least that would help keep his hands warm during the upcoming fall and winter months.

                Keith sat down in his first class and pulled his jacket off, enjoying the warm air that had already heated the room since classes began earlier that morning. He pulled out his computer and waited for his professor to walk in and begin their session. Their mid-term was going to happen during their next class so he knew that some of today was going to be spent talking about that. It was reassuring in a way and he was ready to get it over with.

                He nearly ran into someone as he pushed his way into the stairwell after his last class, half of his mind still on the lecture and the other half of his mind already seated in the office of the financial worker who he was on his way to meet. He knew that he wasn’t going to be able to shake his mood until the mid-term was over. It was going to keep nagging at the back of his mind and prophesize some form of doom for him. Tests were the worst.

                Keith made his way across campus to the main building and headed down the staircase towards where the lower offices were kept. He’d made this walk so many times that he could probably do it in his sleep. Yet that never seemed to calm him down when the threat of his ability to go to school was on the line.

                The secretary smiled at him when he walked through the door. “How can I help you today?”

                “I have an appointment with Sarah.”

                The sound of keys being pressed filled the silence between them. “Keith, right? She’ll be with you in a few minutes so feel free to have a seat.”

                He nodded and sat down on the hard bench. He hated this. The tight smiles and false hospitality. They wanted to make you try and be as comfortable as possible, but when you whole future relied on what they were about to tell you…it was a little hard to do. He’d be glad when he’d never have to step foot in this office again and never have to be greeted by tight smiles and people who were tired of dealing with poor college students.

                Keith ducked his head and clasped his hands together between his thighs, one of his knees bouncing impatiently as he waited to be called back. He was glad that there wasn’t any chipper music playing like he’d heard in some of the other offices. He knew that the melody would drive him insane as he sat in tense silence.

                A woman who he immediately recognized pushed a side door open and he got to his feet. She smiled at him and beckoned him back to her office. He followed quickly, moving past mostly closed doors, indicating that most of the other advisors were hard at work with students in similar situations to his own.

                The soft click of Sarah’s office door behind him almost felt like the sound of him being locked in prison. He took a seat without being prompted and watched as she made her way around her desk. Sarah didn’t immediately speak, instead pulling up what he knew would be his file and his other academic information that they’d need to discuss with regards to his finances.

                “Okay,” she finally began, sitting back in her chair and giving Keith a warm smile. “Everything is in order with your currant finances and you’re doing an excellent job of keeping up with some of the payments as well as ensuring that your loans are maintained. Your GPA is currently more than enough to maintain your academic scholarship which means that you won’t have any more financial burden at this time. Other than that, my only recommendation is to keep up with your studies and maintain the grades that you’ve been getting especially now that mid-terms are here. It might seem like a long way off, but finals will also be coming around before you know it and then you’ll be in your last semester of college. Do you have any questions for me at this time?”

                Keith shook his head. “No.” He never did.

                “Okay. You’ll be receiving another email from me as we get closer to the end of the semester and we can talk about next semester in a bit more detail and make sure that everything works out. Next semester you can also expect to be meeting with me a few more times than you’re used to since we’ll need to make sure that everything goes smoothly as you finish up and transition into the working world. Unless you’re going on to graduate school right away. If that’s the case we can talk about options for schools and how to handle finances. Right now, I just need you to sign this form as proof that we had our meeting today and you understand your current situation.”

                Keith nodded. He’d done this so many times already and quickly scratched out his signature.

                Sarah took the paper back and smiled at him. “Perfect! You’ll be hearing from me in several weeks. Enjoy the rest of your day.”

                He nodded again and picked up his backpack, pushing out of her office quickly and making his way back through the building. The bitter wind biting into his cheeks was a strange relief. God, he hated this. Hated the worry that was always there. He just wanted to feel secure for once and not have to worry about everything. He turned away from the building, knowing that the day he would step in there for the last time would be a welcome one indeed.

                Keith pushed through the back door to the restaurant and headed towards the computer to clock-in, half-heartedly returning the greetings that the kitchen staff shot his way as they worked on preparing the current orders and doing a bit more prep work for the evening ahead. He slipped into the bathroom and quickly changed before making his way behind the bar. He wasn’t in the mood to make conversation, but was still sad to see the other bartender go. He just didn’t want to be left alone with his thoughts.

                More than the usual number of orders came in for a week night and it seemed that quite a few business workers were treating themselves before the weekend. He’d pity any of them who drank a little too much and would have to go to work with a hangover the next day. Or maybe they wouldn’t. Hell, they could probably afford to take a day off if they were feeling a bit shitty. He shook himself from the thoughts and tried to focus back on the drinks that he was making. It wouldn’t do to think about that now. He really needed something else to focus on and making drinks wasn’t doing much to distract his mind from what it really wanted to latch onto.

                Closing came as a major blessing. He was happy to leave and get back to his apartment where he could more thoroughly distract himself from his current despair and misery. Or at the very least, let himself wallow in misery in the safe confines of his bed. Keith finished his last tasks pretty quickly and was just clocking out when Linda stopped him at the computer.

                “Keith can I talk to you for a minute?” she asked.

                He frowned. She seemed nervous. Linda was never nervous around him.

                “Sure. What is it?”

                She rubbed the back of her neck and sighed. “Look, I’m really sorry to do this, but we’re going to have to pull you from the double shift on Sunday. We’ll have you working in the evening, but we accidently over scheduled and I don’t want to take anyone off that day to ensure everyone has at least one shift. I know that the doubles are important to you and I can give you priority next weekend if that would help.”

                Keith felt his stomach drop. This day just kept getting better and better. “Yeah…I…thanks. I’d appreciate that for next week. Sorry to rush, but I really need to get back and finish up some last minute work.”

                The last part was a lie, but Keith needed to get out of there now. He ignored the calls from the kitchen staff and pushed through the back door impatiently. His mind raced, focused on recalculating his expenses and trying to determine if he’d have enough to cover the rent for the month. The consideration for the next weekend would be generous, but he wouldn’t get that money for another month which wouldn’t help out with his next round of rent. His payday was tomorrow after all.

                He nearly sprinted back to his apartment and slammed the door shut behind him, wincing at the loud sound. He leaned back against the wood heavily and rubbed tiredly at his face.

                “Great. Now I’m going to get a noise complaint,” he muttered. He kicked off his shoes and hurried into his bedroom, tossing his backpack onto the bed and pulling at his clothes. He exchanged his jeans for a pair of pajama pants with red lions on them and a worn in grey shirt.

                Once he was changed, Keith nearly fell onto his bed and pulled his laptop from his backpack, kicking the bag to the floor with his foot. The action made him feel a little better, but did nothing to the quickly rising panic within him. He needed a distraction. Now.

                As his _Voltron_ account began to load, he reached over and grabbed his headphones, plugging them in and jamming them on top of his head. His fingers tapped anxiously next to the trackpad as he waited. Every second felt like a minute and his mind kept moving faster and faster, coming up with worse and worse scenarios if he wasn’t able to make his rent for the month and then couple that with his mid-term coming up. He felt almost as though he was being sucked into a black hole-not that they actually sucked and he wouldn’t survive the gravitational pull anyway, and even if he did survive that the amount of trapped light inside the black hole would incinerate him in a second.

                Keith closed his eyes, cursing himself for his interest in space. He just wanted to have a breakdown and make references to space phenomenon without his brain analyzing every aspect of it to provide a more accurate and believable metaphor. His thoughts quieted for a moment when the Castle popped up and he was relieved that Shiro was already logged on. He sent the call through quickly. He shut his eyes as his anxious thoughts reared their ugly heads again and nearly missed Shiro’s greeting.

                “Hey, Keith! How’s it going?” he asked, sounding incredibly pleased with himself.

                “How many two player missions do we have left?” he asked, ignoring the greeting. He didn’t want to have to wait for anyone else and he couldn’t guarantee that if anyone else joined them, he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from snapping at them and that was something they didn’t deserve. It was hard enough keeping himself together at the moment. He just hoped that Shiro’s kind demeanor would help him stay in check.

                “Keith…is everything alright?” he asked after a moment.

                “Fine,” Keith snapped and then winced at his tone. So much for keeping himself controlled.

                “Really? Because you don’t sound fine.”

                He shut his eyes and rubbed his forehead. This was it. This was the moment that was going to break him, because he couldn’t stop thinking about everything soon enough. Because all of his worries couldn’t leave him alone for once. And because Shiro was nice enough to ask him what was wrong, because he _knew_ that Keith wasn’t fine. He sighed and slowly began to explain.

                “I’m sorry. I just…God it’s so hard sometimes. Working my way through college. I have to make sure to keep my GPA up or risk losing my academic scholarship and if that happens, I’ll be put into some serious debt. And then there’s this class that I’m struggling with and I’m worried if I do poorly on the mid-term then that’ll bring my GPA down which means less money. And then my double shift on Sunday got cut and I’m really hoping that won’t affect my ability to make rent and I-I-“ Keith cut himself off with a sob and forced a hand over his mouth to try and quiet the sounds. The tears flowed quickly. They always did.

                “I’m so scared, Shiro,” he whispered. “It gets to be so much and I feel like I don’t have anyone to rely on and don’t have anywhere to go. I’m scared of being booted out of college and being left with nothing and sometimes I just don’t know what to do.”

                “You have people to rely on. You have friends,” Shiro said, earnestly. “If you need someone even I…I can be here, too.”

                “Wh-what?”

                “I know that we barely know each other and have only been gaming for a short time, but I think you’re a really great person and would like to be here for you. As a friend if nothing else to try and give you the support that you need.”

                Keith stared at his computer screen, really wishing that he could see Shiro in that moment. Wanting to know how true is words were even though they rang with complete conviction and honesty.

                “Do you have skype?” he blurted, mouth acting faster than his brain.

                “I…yeah?” Shiro asked, obviously confused. “Wait-are you-do you-really?”

                Keith took a shuddery breath and prepared himself for what was to come. “Yes. If you want to.”

                “Yeah. Yes. Absolutely. Message me your username and I can send the call through.”

                Two minutes later and they were staring at each other through the screen for the first time. Shiro just gaped at him and he felt himself flush, trying to brush away the last dredges of tears. It was unfair how ridiculously attractive Shiro was and here he was with a tear-stained face. His cheeks were probably an ugly and blotchy red, too.

                “Shiro? Could you say something? Please?” Keith pleaded, looking anywhere but at his screen.

                “Uh…hi,” he said, still sounding a little dumbstruck.

                “Is everything okay? You’re making me a little nervous,” Keith said, fidgeting.

                “Yes!” he responded, too loudly. He cleared his throat. “I mean, yeah. Yeah, everything’s fine.”

                Keith squinted, wondering if it was just the lighting or if Shiro was actually blushing. He swore that his cheeks were tinted with a light pink. He was probably just embarrassed by this whole situation.

                “Are you feeling better?”

                Keith looked down at his hands in his lap. “Yeah. I feel a bit better after crying. All my worries and anxieties are still there, but they aren’t going to go away in one night.”

                “Good. That’s good. That you’re feeling better, I mean. Not that you’re still worried or anxious.”

                “Yeah.”

                Silence fell between the two of them as they each obviously didn’t look at each other.

                “Hey, Shiro?”

                “What is it?”

                “Thanks.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback, comments, and kudos are always loved and appreciated. 
> 
> You can find me on tumblr as my-one-love-is-music.tumblr.com


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay chapter update!! Woo hoo!! I'm really glad that I got this done today since I leave for a weekend trip tomorrow and don't have to worry about coming back and trying to finish this, so I hope that y'all are looking forward to reading it. 
> 
> Also, I got a twitter if you're interested! It's just a place for me to ramble about fics and give more consistent updates about how things are going and when things might get posted. So you can follow that here: https://twitter.com/m_o_l_i_m
> 
> Cheers!
> 
> <3 MOLIM

                Friday felt like an utter dream to Keith. He hardly registered his own actions throughout the day and didn’t even really remember waking up or getting ready for the day. He almost felt like a zombie and didn’t really register where he was until he received a slap on the back, forcing him to look around and comprehend that he was at work. He didn’t even remember clocking in or going to class! And was honestly surprised that he managed to even dress himself in his work clothes, although he was sure Linda would’ve stopped him if he’d looked too out of sorts.

                “Someone seems to be a little out of it today,” George said, bringing Keith out of his thoughts and to focus back in on the drink that he’d been preparing. “Late night? Too much studying? Or too much gaming?”

                “Uhh…” Keith responded eloquently, grasping for some sort of explanation as to why he was acting the way he was. He couldn’t exactly say he was thinking about the hot guy that he met online while gaming. Not only did he not know how to go about explaining _that_ situation, but he didn’t think he was prepared for the lecture that he would undoubtedly get about interacting with strangers online and the possibility that his life might turn into an afterschool special. George would probably even go so far as to suggest he’d been featured on _America’s Most Wanted_. You’d think being twenty-one would get you a pass for things like that, but Keith was never so lucky.

                “Based on your intelligent response and the fact you’re grasping for some sort of response, I’m going to take a wild guess and say that you were up late gaming last night and didn’t get enough sleep,” he said with a chuckle and moved to pick up a bottle of alcohol for the next order coming in. It was getting into the busier part of the night where more people were coming out just for the drinks than for actual meals.

                Keith didn’t bother responding and did his best to focus back in on his work and knew that he wouldn’t be able to let his mind wander any further. He didn’t want to risk messing up anyone’s drinks because that would mean losing drinks and money and he wasn’t prepared to be responsible for that on top of everything else. And with the growing crowds, that would slow things down for them if they had to make twice as many drinks to make up for Keith’s lack of concentration.

                He looked at the pile of orders that were quickly stacking up and turned back to the drink he was almost finished with. He wanted to shove it all away and not worry about it, but a thought struck him. Something that would help to keep him focused…

                “Hey, George,” he called, smirk pulling at the edges of his lips.

                “Yeah?” he asked, bottle in hand and eyebrow raised in question at Keith’s expression. He’d known him long enough to know that a smirk wasn’t always a good sign.

                “Feel like having a little competition tonight?” he asked, gesturing to the pile of tickets that was waiting for them.

                A grin slowly pulled at the edges of his mouth, eyes lighting up at the prospect of making a game out of their workload. “You’re on,” he said, raising the bottle in his hand. “Whoever gets the most drinks made wins. And the loser has to do all the closedown procedures.”

                “Hope you like staying late,” Keith said. “Because I’m not going to lose,” he said getting back to work with a renewed fervor. These next few hours were going to pass by with a breeze.

                “How is it that we both managed to end up with the same number of tickets?!” George nearly screeched as they finished totaling their piles.

                “Damn, I really thought that I was ahead there,” Keith said, running a hand through his hair.

                “ _You_ were ahead. Clearly, I was making the most drinks during the night.”

                Keith raised an eyebrow. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said, reaching for the bottle of cleaner and the towel to wipe down the counter.

                “Please, you’ve been out of it all night. I don’t understand how you have the same number of tickets,” George grouched and reached for the empty bottles to take inventory of how much stock they’d used.

                “I don’t care who won what or what you’re arguing about, but I want to see more cleaning boys! It’s Friday and I know that you as much as me are ready to get out of here for the night,” Linda called as she walked past.

                The two of them hurried back to their closedown procedures and probably got done in record time. Getting motivated at the end of a long day wasn’t too hard when the threat of your boss was just around the corner. Keith and George parted ways quickly, knowing that they’d see each other again soon enough, and were more concerned with getting home after a long day. Keith may not have had a shift the next day, but that didn’t mean that he wasn’t looking forward to spending time with his friend that night and getting more than enough sleep.

                He pushed into his apartment and made his way into the bedroom, leaving his backpack at the foot of the bed while he moved over to his dresser to pull out something more comfortable to wear. Swapping out his work clothes for a pair of sweatpants and a shirt found him back in the kitchen with his headset and rummaging around for something to make for dinner. He was still doing really well on food and thought he might be able to pull some money from his food budget if he ended up running low after being pulled from the double shift on Sunday. Things really seemed to be looking up for once. Or maybe it was just memories of having someone to lean on that were helping him see the brighter side of things.

                As he was heating up the water to make some of the pasta that he’d stocked up on-and it was in fact pasta and not ramen noodles-he heard a ringing coming from his computer. Keith stepped over and was surprised to find Shiro calling him through skype rather than his _Voltron_ account which he had already pulled up _._ He answered quickly and grinned when Shiro’s face came into view.

                “Hey, Shiro,” he said, picking up his computer and carrying it over to the counter next to his stove.

                “Wh-what’s up? What are you doing?” Shiro asked, belatedly.

                “Making dinner. I just got back from work and decided to make some pasta to celebrate that it’s Friday. I would say that I’m surprised that you’re online already, but I can’t really say that I am.” He felt relaxed talking to him like this. He was a little worried that things could’ve been a bit weird after the night before, but he found Shiro’s presence particularly grounding. “How are things on your end?” he asked while reaching for the box of pasta.

                “Oh, you know, just another Friday. Not really one for the history books,” Shiro said, laughing awkwardly.

                Keith glanced at his screen and found Shiro looking away from him and off screen. He saw traces of pink along his cheekbones and leaned in further while absentmindedly stirring the pasta.

                “Shiro, are you feeling alright? You’re not sick are you?” he asked, squinting for good measure.

                He looked back at the screen and looked taken aback when he caught how close Keith was. Keith watched as his face got even redder.

                “Fine, fine,” Shiro said, trying to wave away his concern.

                Keith gave him one last look before returning to his pasta. “Okay. I still think you should make sure that you don’t have a temperature and aren’t sick.”

                “Later. I can take it later.”

                “Okay,” Keith said, not entirely convinced.

                Shiro cleared his throat, searching for something to say. “Allura and Lance had a lot of fun with us the other night. They’d like to join up again.”

                “Cool. I can’t wait to kick Lance’s ass again.”

                Shiro laughed. “You know, the point of team missions are so that you work together and not fight amongst the players.”

                Keith shrugged and speared a piece of pasta to taste. He hummed in satisfaction and turned off the stovetop, picking up the pot and carrying it over to the sink to drain. “As long as it doesn’t cause us to lose, I think that we can manage to have a little bit of fun at least. ‘Sides, Lance’s ego’s big enough that he can take it.”

                “I’m not sure that he’d agree with you on that, but he’d also probably claim that he doesn’t have an ego. Still, I’d like the two of you to get along on some level at least,” Shiro said.

                Keith paused as he grabbed the jar of tomato sauce from the cabinet above his head. He looked down at it as he addressed what Shiro said. “You think that we don’t get along?”

                “Do you?” Shiro asked, disbelief obvious.

                Keith rolled his eyes and placed a hand on his hip as he turned to face the screen. “Of course we get along. Even I could tell from our first night gaming together that Lance wanted to see how I held up. Eventually, it became less about testing me and more about seeing how far we could push each other. I just managed to come out on top. Don’t worry so much.”

                Now that his dinner was ready, Keith moved his computer and his bowl of food over to the table while Shiro sat there silently, obviously thinking.

                “So did you want to game or what?” Keith asked between bites since it looked like Shiro wasn’t going to say anything anytime soon.

                “Hm?” Shiro asked, being pulled from his thoughts. Keith raised an eyebrow at him. “Oh, yeah. Sure, we can game.”

                “You can invite Lance and Allura if you want. If they’re free anyway.”

                “Actually…do you mind if we do something else?” he asked, rubbing the back of his neck.

                Keith shrugged. “Sure. What did you have in mind?”

                Shiro shrugged, obviously feeling a bit embarrassed about the request. “I just feel like maybe hanging out and watching a movie or something.”

                Keith quirked an eyebrow. “You want to try and stream a movie at the same time?”

                “Yeah.”

                “That’s great and all, but I don’t have Netflix.”

                “Oh.”

                “Hang on,” Keith said, leaning forward and pulling up his web browser. “I don’t remember the name of it, but I heard about this website that can let you watch things at the same time. It’s sort of hard to explain. So you would be streaming from your Netflix account, but I’d be able to watch it too, even though I don’t have Netflix.”

                “That sounds perfect. I think that I’ve heard of that too, actually…”

                “Here it is! It’s this website called rabbit.” Keith heard Shiro typing even as he looked around the website himself.

                “Oh hey, this looks pretty cool. So I just need to set this up with my Netlfix account…”

                Keith listened as he clicked several things and typed in information.

                “Okay, I think I’ve got this figured out. I’m going to send you the link to this room through Skype and we should be able to get started.”

                Keith heard the notification from his Skype window and pulled up the room. Once it was opened in his web browser he shut off the call with Shiro and brought up the video and audio capabilities of the chat room.

                “Shiro? You there?”

                “Yeah. Although, cutting out without saying goodbye was a little rude.”

                Keith rolled his eyes. “Oh, please. I was gone for like two seconds, it didn’t kill you.”

                “It was still rude,” he muttered. “Anyway, what do you want to watch?”

                “It doesn’t really matter to me. I’ll probably be fine with anything so if there’s something in particular that you like watching or are in the middle of watching, I’ll probably be fine with that.”

                Shiro hummed. “Do you like anime?”

                “I’ve never really watched it, but I’ll give anything a try.” Keith picked up his computer and the remains of his dinner and headed over to his couch. He moved a few of the pillows up against the arm of the couch and laid down, leaning against them and stretching out his legs. He settled his laptop on top of his legs so that he could still eat and sighed happily as his muscles relaxed in the soft cushions.

                “Okay, I think this one’ll be good to start with. I’ve been wanting to watch it for a while so I guess this is just my excuse to get you involved too.”

                “What’s it called?”

                “The English name is _Your Lie in April_. It’s supposed to be really good.”

                “Okay. Is this going to have subtitles then?”

                “Yeah, is that a problem?”

                “I think I’ll be okay. I just might have to do full screen so that I can read them, depending on how small they are and if the video quality isn’t too fuzzy.”

                “Well, let’s find out.”

                Keith watched as Shiro pulled it up and animated cherry blossoms filled his screen. The image followed a blond girl walking down the street and following a cat.

                “Is this an anime about music students?” he asked as the opening began to play. He might never admit it, but he thought the music was pretty catchy and could see the appeal of why people went to such lengths to find it sometimes.  

                “Yeah.”

                “Okay.”

                Silence fell between them again as the episode progressed. He thought that this might be something he could actually get into even if it wasn’t along the lines of what he usually took interest in.

                “What did you think?” Shiro asked as the credits began to play.

                “I like it. Can we watch another episode? I really want to see what happens with her violin performance.”

                “Yeah, of course.”

                One more episode turned into another and another and another. Even with his eyes drooping and his mind complaining about the influx of information that the anime was giving him, Keith couldn’t find it in himself to complain or ask Shiro to stop despite the late hour and his need to actually get some sleep. Keith was enraptured by the storyline and the characters to the point that he might even be a little bit obsessed. He wanted to know what was going to happen to Kousei and he wanted so much for Kousei to succeed at his solo competition.

                It was probably unhealthy how invested he was in the wellbeing of a fictional character, but the writing and the characterizations just made him want to care about him. He wanted him to do well and find motivation in the people who claimed to be his rivals. He wanted him to find support in his friends and realize that it’s okay for him to play the piano and move on with his life and be great.

                Keith sat up and clutched the sides of his laptop, staring with wide eyes as Kousei battled himself during his performance. He felt himself saddened by the turn that the anime had taken and sagged against the couch’s back cushion, nearly burying his face in the fabric.

                Shiro paused the episode as the ending music began. “You okay there, Keith.”

                Keith groaned. “I was really hoping for a different outcome for Kousei.”

                “I know, but he can’t just magically come back after having such an impactful experience. He has to find his love for the piano again and deal with the trauma that he’s been through. We’re only half way through the anime so there’s plenty of time for it to get better. Unless you want to put that off for later.”

                Keith looked at the time and sighed. “3am huh? I should probably get to bed.”

                “You don’t have work tomorrow, do you?”

                “Nah, it’s my night off. But I’m getting together with some friends. We’re going to hang out and watch movies before mid-terms-shit! Fuck, mid-terms. I should really be studying for those.” He groaned again, not wanting to think about his upcoming tests or the rest of his anxieties.

                “So study tomorrow-well, later today anyway. Get some sleep, get refreshed, and then study before you get together with your friends. We can finish this next weekend after you get through your tests. Just think of it as the reward that’s waiting for you.”

                “Okay. Yeah, sounds good. I can totally do that,” Keith said, trying to convince himself. Neither of them made a move to leave the chat. “I guess, I’ll go then. Talk to you later, Shiro?”

                “Yeah, talk to you later.”

                Keith closed out of his web browser and stared at his desktop for a minute, not wanting to move off the couch. He hadn’t even considered the amount of hours that he’d need to put into studying next week. That would mean he’d probably not be able to game or talk with Shiro for a while at least. He sighed and shut down his computer, setting it down on the coffee table before wearily pushing himself to his feet.

                He shuffled into his bedroom and let himself fall down onto his bed and pulled his comforter over himself, his eyes sliding shut easily. It was so strange. They’d only known each other for a short amount of time and had been skyping for barely a fraction of that, yet Shiro already felt like a large part of his life. It felt weird to even consider going a day without interacting with him. Shiro had wedged his way so far into Keith’s life already that the thought of him possibly disappearing was absolutely terrifying for him to consider.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback, comments, and kudos are always appreciated!
> 
> You can find me on tumblr as my-one-love-is-music.tumblr.com


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really looking forward to sharing this chapter. Like really, really. It was super fun to write and I hope that you're ready to read it. 
> 
> Thank you to everyone who has read so far and started following along! We've come so far already and I'm looking forward to where this story is going to go and I hope y'all will continue to lend me support along the way!
> 
> <3 MOLIM

Keith blinked, bringing himself out of yet another daze. He was trying to seriously focus, but it just wasn’t happening for him. He’d let himself get plenty of sleep the night before, well that morning, after going to bed at 3am because he knew that he would need it if he wanted to get some form of studying done. And yet here he was, unable to focus on his task and the words in front of him, his mind deciding to wander back to _Shiro_ yet again. The traitor. The day before had been bad enough, especially with trying to navigate classes and make sure that he didn’t miss any vital information, especially with mid-terms coming up, but this was just getting ridiculous.

It was already late afternoon and his friends had been messaging him to get the last of the details hashed out for that night. He’d contributed eagerly and was actually looking forward to it. Knew that he needed it because of his levels of stress. Which strangely weren’t bothering him as much as they usually did because all he could fucking think about was Shiro. Keith groaned and let his head fall down onto the text book in front of him. This was really not how this was supposed to go.

He shouldn’t be so focused on someone who he barely knew. Shouldn’t be remembering the light flush that dusted his cheeks and drew attention to the light scar across his nose that he hadn’t noticed before. Or the way that it had highlighted his dark eyes, the soft glow of his computer screen making them illuminated. Or how soft his hair had looked, especially the white streak that came out from the center of his forehead.

“Gahh!!!!” Keith exclaimed, pulling at his hair in frustration. He leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling, letting his hands fall to his lap. “What do I do?”

His phone vibrated on the table and he looked down at it. He reached for it and pulled up the new text from Pidge.

_Pidge: Get your butt over here in an hour. We’re getting this party started early._

Keith sighed.

_Keith: Sure thing._

It wasn’t like he was getting any work done as it was. If he didn’t get too smashed or worn out after movie night and was competent enough to make it back to his apartment, then he might be able to get a little more studying done later once all other distractions had been taken care of. He hoped he was lucky enough for that to happen anyway.

He walked into his bedroom and started to strip out of the shirt and sweatpants that he’d been in all day so that he could take a shower. Even if he didn’t exactly need one, it would give him time to think and deal with whatever was going on in his brain for once instead of trying to push it to the side in favor of other things. He walked into his bathroom and turned on the water, letting it warm up slightly before stepping under the spray and pulling the curtain closed behind him.

Keith leaned his head against the wall and let the water flow down his back. Normally he wouldn’t give himself time to enjoy the feel of the warmth spreading over him for fear of what it might do to his bill, but he needed a minute to get his thoughts together.

He knew that he enjoyed talking to Shiro and gaming with him. They got along together really well for only knowing each other for such a short period of time. Keith felt like he could tell him anything. He’d already spilled his worst fears to him and was brought back from the edge of what could’ve been a much worse freakout and everything had been fine. They probably even got closer and even strengthened the bond they’d already developed.

And there was no doubt that Shiro was attractive. Keith could see it and knew it. Had been thinking and fixating on that fact all day instead of doing what he needed to be doing which was studying if he didn’t want to fail his mid-terms.

He might like Shiro a little more than just as a friend. But he couldn’t have a crush on him. He just couldn’t! For one thing, they lived several states apart and only knew each other online. Even if they hadn’t even met in person there was no way that Keith could’ve developed feelings that fast. And Shiro probably didn’t even like him anyway so there was no reason to get his hopes up.

Keith pushed himself off the wall of the shower with a new sense of determination. He wasn’t going to let the fact that he found Shiro attractive get in the way of their interactions. He liked having Shiro as a friend and that was all that mattered. He could easily just keep acting the way he’d been acting and keep things normal and relaxed between the two of them. It was no big deal, really. That’s what he thought at least, as he reached for the soap.

Keith pressed the buzzer for Pidge’s apartment and shivered as a gust of wind blew over him. He wasn’t ready for winter to continue getting closer, but it was inevitable, much to his own dismay.

“Yeah?” Pidge’s voice asked over the buzzer.

“Pidge, it’s Keith. Let me up!”

“Sure thing!”

Seconds later he heard the sound of the door unlocking and pulled it open, glad when it shut out the cold behind him. He hurried over to the stairs, knowing better by now than to trust the elevator to get him to Pidge’s floor. He only had to go up to the second floor anyway, so the ride really wasn’t worth it. As soon as he hit the landing and pulled open the door to her floor, he saw Hunk’s head from where it was already sticking out from her doorway. He waved him down the hallway and Keith hurried towards him, slipping through the door and into the apartment.

“Now that you’re here, we can get this party started!” Pidge spoke up from her spot in the kitchen.

Keith laughed. “If you’re hoping for a good party, I hope that you’re the one funding the alcohol store to get it going.”

He walked into the kitchen and saw her furiously cutting at a pizza that she’d just pulled from the oven.

“Sadly, we thought it best not to purchase that kind of alcohol. Especially after the last time.” She paused in her cutting and shuddered. Keith didn’t need a reminder as to what she was talking about. It didn’t end up being a good evening. They thought that it would be the best way to celebrate the end of the school year, but bad things happened. Very bad things.

“Anyway, grab a beer. I’m almost done getting this cut and then we can eat and you can tell us what’s been going on.”

Keith’s hand froze, outstretched to one of the available bottles on the counter. “What’s been…what do you mean?” He forced his hand to move and wrap around the bottle, cool condensation seeping into his skin even as he picked up the bottle opener and pulled the top free quickly.

“You were completely out of it yesterday!” Hunk exclaimed. “If something is bothering you, you know you can talk to us about it. Is something wrong with your job?”

“You aren’t having a problem with financial aid or anything right?” Pidge asked, watching him.

Keith put his hands up in front of him, trying to wave away their concern. “No! No, nothing’s wrong. I’ve still got my job and my financial aid is fine.”

“Then what had you so distracted?” Pidge asked, letting her hand that wasn’t holding the pizza cutter fall to her hip.

He looked between his two friends, wondering just how much he could afford to tell them. How much he wanted to tell them. It wasn’t like everything surrounding Shiro was completely unbelievable. He was a real person who Keith had gotten to know. A real person who Keith might like a little more than he should.

“Well…” Keith began. “A while back I was playing _Voltron_ one night and teamed up with this other guy. We worked really well together and started to make it a regular thing to do missions and stuff. He convinced me to get a headset and then we started talking and kept working together and have just become really good friends I guess…”

Keith trailed off and nervously looked between his two friends, unsure of what their reactions would be.

“Well, that’s not so bad.” Hunk said at the same time Pidge squealed.

“Oh my God! You have a crush!”

“What?!” Hunk and Keith stared at her.

“You so do! That’s why you were so out of it yesterday. You like this guy!”

Keith felt himself flush. “Well-that’s-I-I mean-Pidge-“ he cut himself off with a pitiful whimper and buried his face in his hands.

“Okay, everyone take some pizza and grab a seat. We are going to spend tonight learning more about Keith’s crush and then maybe watch a movie if we have time.”

Keith piled a couple of slices on his plate and trudged into the living room, letting himself fall onto the end of the couch. He picked up his first slice and grabbed a bite as his friends joined him.

“First of all…what’s his name?” Pidge asked.

“Shiro,” he said very reluctantly.

“And how much do you know about this ‘Shiro?’” Hunk asked, his defensiveness over his friend already rising.

“He lives in Florida and is in university like us. We’ve, um…we’ve skyped a few times actually so he definitely doesn’t look like a creeper,” Keith laughed awkwardly, trying to make it seem less weird.

“Wait, you’ve skyped?!” Pidge exclaimed. “Well, what does he look like?”

“Uh…he’s Japanese. He’s got black hair, but there’s this white streak that sticks out from the center of his forehead.” Keith soon forgot about his friends watching him intently, getting lost in his memories of Shiro. “He’s got dark grey eyes and this barely-there scar that goes across his nose and…what?” he asked, noticing how his friends were watching him with matching smiles.

“Yup, you definitely have a crush on him.” Pidge said, falling back into the couch and making herself comfortable. “So have you asked him out yet?” she asked around a mouthful of food.

“What? No! I can’t ask him out!”

Hunk stared at him. “Why not?”

“Because what if he doesn’t even like me? I don’t want to make things weird between us.”

Pidge hummed.

“Has he done anything that seemed a little out of character for him? Maybe something along the lines that indicated it was more personal?” Hunk asked.

“No? I don’t think so. I mean, last night instead of gaming we just watched this anime.” Keith looked up from his food and found his friends staring at him again. He was getting real tired of that, real fast. “What?” he asked, exasperated.

“That sounds like more than friends to me,” Hunk said. “That sounds like a date.”

“Whatever.” Keith felt his face heat up and was ready to stop talking about this. It was already giving him a headache and a torturous feeling of embarrassment. “Can we just drop it and watch a movie?”

“Sure, but try not to zone out and obsess over Shiro the whole time,” Pidge said, grabbing the remote.

Keith groaned and let his head fall back against the couch. He never should’ve told his friends any of this information. It was no doubt going to continue to come back and haunt him every day for the rest of his life. He just hoped that he wouldn’t be too distracted during the film. The least that he could do was try and pay attention to what was on the screen. This was supposed to be time with his friends after all and he hadn’t gotten a night in with them for a while.

He managed to grasp at least half the plot and what had happened by the time the end credits were rolling. As much as he wanted to forget about Shiro, his traitorous brain kept dredging up memories and events, and his _fucking face_ to so helpfully remind him of his little _problem_.

“Okay, that’s it,” Pidge said, reaching for the remote and shutting off the T.V.

Keith looked at her. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

Pidge smiled at him to reassure him that it wasn’t anything bad. “It’s obvious that you’ve been having trouble paying attention, so I think it’s best if we just call it a night.”

Keith sat up to object.

“Yeah, I’m feeling pretty beat too,” Hunk broke in. “And I need to make sure that I’m up relatively early tomorrow to get some studying done.”

“Yeah, okay,” Keith said, standing up and shrugging on his jacket. “We should do this again soon.”

Pidge followed him over to the door. “Yeah, and maybe next time you can invite your boyfriend,” she said, pulling the door open.

Keith spluttered and whirled around to protest, but was met with a door in his face and the muffled sound of Pidge’s laughter.

“Jerk,” he muttered petulantly before heading towards the stairs. He felt a little bad that they were cutting their night short because of him and his inability to pay attention, but it was probably for the best. Keith had studying to do too and he’d have more time to catch up with them after mid-terms were over.

The sidewalks were still filled with a number of people on their way to socialize. They were dressed to go out for drinks or out to eat, taking advantage of the chance to enjoy themselves. Keith just wove through and past them, more than happy to leave them to do what they wished and make his way to his own home instead.

He walked straight through his apartment and landed heavily on his bed, facedown. All of the muscles in his back immediately relaxed at once and drew a long groan from his lips. He rolled onto his side and let his eyes slide shut. He wasn’t quite tired enough to fall asleep, but it felt good to take a moment to relax and not focus on anything or think about anything. Or try to not think about someone.

He gave himself a mental count to thirty. “Okay,” he said, pushing himself into a sitting position and shoving off his jacket. He kicked off his shoes and walked back to the kitchen where he left his books from earlier. Keith opened his laptop and pulled up Spotify to start his studying playlist. If there was any way that he was going to make it through a couple hours of intense and focused studying, then this was going to be it. He’d struggled the rest of the day, but this time he could do it.

He absentmindedly tapped his pencil along to the beat on the tabletop as he worked to commit the words and theories to memory. He felt motivated, like he could pull off mid-terms with ease. He wasn’t sure where his new confidence came from, but he was going to hold onto it for as long as it lasted.

Until a notification sounded that was obviously not from the music.

“Don’t look, Keith,” he said flipping to the next page of his notes and pulling his textbook closer to check the information made sense. “Don’t fucking look.”

Keith made it through another page of his notes, throwing in more details where he thought it was necessary, and pleased that he added them back in from memory instead of copying them from the book, when another notification sounded from his computer. He groaned and let his head fall forward onto his notebook.

“Fine. Fine, what is it?” he lifted his head a fraction and saw that he had two messages on Skype. And who else would they be from but Shiro.

_Shiro: Lol, I thought that you were supposed to be hanging out with your friends tonight._

_Shiro: Unless you are and just left your computer open and I’m messaging no one at the moment._

Keith fought to keep himself from replying right away. Shiro’s words were giving him an out. He didn’t have to respond. He could just leave it alone and go back to studying and no one would be the wiser.

“Fuck, I hate myself,” he said before sitting up and pulling his computer towards him.

_Keith: We decided to call it a night early. I was just trying to get some studying done since I wasn’t very productive this afternoon._

_Shiro: Ah, sorry. I didn’t mean to bother you while you’re working. I can leave you alone and let you get on with your studying since you’ve got tests coming up._

_Keith: It’s alright, really. I don’t mind._

He didn’t mind. He really didn’t mind. And fuck it all if that didn’t worry him at least a little bit.

_Keith: I’m sure that you’ve got stuff that you need to work on too._

It was a somewhat desperate attempt. And he hated that he was grasping for anything. For any something.

_Shiro: I mean, yeah, I’ve got homework that I need to work on. Hey, did you want to study together?_

Keith felt his heartrate pick up. This was bad. This was so very bad. He’d only end up getting distracted. He should tell him no. He should tell him that he really preferred to study alone and not with his friends and that he wouldn’t get much studying done because he would only want to hang out and talk or do something else. He placed his hands on his keyboard and willed himself to type out the words. Willed himself to tell Shiro that they couldn’t, because he was already terrified of the feelings blooming in his chest like the bright flowers that came after a cold, harsh winter.

_Keith: Sure, I don’t mind. As long as we get some actual work done and you don’t coerce me into watching more anime or playing_ Voltron.

Seconds after Keith’s message was sent, the call came through. He took a steadying breath before accepting it and was met with Shiro’s grinning face.

“I promise that I won’t distract you. I’ll be good,” he said, laughing.

Keith swallowed. This was not good. This was not good at all. Shiro was wearing a tank top and his bangs were clipped up and out of his eyes. But a few strands had gotten loose and were framing his gorgeous face. He smiled, probably a little shakily, but worked to compose himself.

“You better be.” He was relieved when his voice at least sounded normal, because he was utterly, utterly fucked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback, comments, and kudos are always loved and appreciated. 
> 
> You can find me on tumblr as my-one-love-is-music.tumblr.com
> 
> You can follow me on twitter where I post updates about writing at twitter.com/m_o_l_i_m


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I don't know if this fic blew up while I wasn't looking, but...wow there are a lot of you. Like I'm sort of confused because where the hell did these numbers come from???? There are so many of you! So...hi I guess. Thanks for reading. Means a lot. 
> 
> And, by the way, feel free to yell at me for this chapter. 
> 
> <3 MOLIM

Keith’s life had become a non-stop blur of work, studying, classes, and tests. He was vaguely aware that some eating and sleeping were happening in between all of those things, at least sometimes, but his thoughts were a whirlwind. It didn’t help that almost every night instead of gaming or watching anime, he’d be skyping with Shiro. The two of them would be quiet, the only sounds those of turning pages or pens scratching, but the thoughts flitting in Keith’s head were loud. Oh so loud.

He’d be sitting there, going over a calculation in his head, completely confident because he was thinking about physics and how much power and fuel was needed to get a 165,000 pound space shuttle off the ground and into space _when Shiro’s muscular shoulders shifted underneath the tight navy blue shirt he was wearing._ He had to bite back a groan on more than one occasion because letting it out would only draw concern from Shiro and that would lead to some awkward questions that he couldn’t fucking answer so he just had to bury his head back in his book and try and focus on his courses.

But did he stop skyping with Shiro? Did he tell the man that he needed some time for himself to make sure that he knew the material? No. Because he loved causing himself pain with his crush that had started getting wildly out of control. He’d had his own share of crushes in the past. They didn’t happen often and before college he never would’ve dreamed even acting on one of them because even showing interest in another guy would’ve been liable to get him punched. And he wouldn’t have just laid down and taken it if he had.

Keith was just grateful that his friends were as swamped with their own studying and work as he was. Pidge had still managed to send him a few texts that were teasing and made fun of him, but for the most part they were all on strict radio silence. Exams tended to have that effect on people. _Except Shiro._

He just had to make it to the end of the week. His tests would be done and his grades would be released Friday and then he could kill his crush once and for all. He would have the chance to game with Shiro or do whatever and he would finally be able to see for himself that Shiro didn’t like him like that. It would hurt, but it would be necessary. And he could handle it. He’d been through worse.

_Linda: I know that you’ve been working yourself into the ground over mid-terms this week so I’m giving you the night off. I don’t want any excuses and reassurances that you’re fine to work. You need a break and you’re working all day tomorrow, so go get some rest._

Keith huffed and stumbled through the door to his apartment. He was a little annoyed to have gotten the text because there was that little voice in the back of his head protesting that he could do it and that he would be fine, but if he was being honest… He was exhausted and worn out and he honestly needed a break.

He headed straight for his bedroom, kicking his shoes off along the way and dropping his jacket on the floor. He pulled out his laptop before collapsing onto his bed and rolling onto his side, letting his computer sit next to him on the bed. He wanted to do something to forget about his tests and his grades that would be released later, but even playing _Voltron_ seemed like too much work.

He let his eyes slide shut and let out a breath, body relaxing against his mattress. A notification sounded on his computer and Keith groaned, turning to bury his head further into his comforter. Maybe if he was lucky he’d smother himself and wouldn’t have to worry about anything else. He could be put out of his misery for once instead of having to deal with everything that life decided to throw at him.

Keith huffed and peeked out from where he was trying to hide. He pulled up Skype and read over Shiro’s message.

_Shiro: How did you do on your tests????_

Keith sat up with a groan and settled back against the headboard of his bed, pulling his computer into his lap.

_Keith: Grades haven’t been released yet so I’m still waiting. I’ll know later tonight._

_Shiro: I’m sure you did great._

_Keith: I’m just glad that it’s all over. I’m so tired. This week has drained me._

_Shiro: Well now that you’re free from the joys of studying and test taking, want to play_ Voltron _?_

_Keith: That sounds like it would take too much brain power._

_Shiro: Lol. What about that anime we started watching last week? Want to finish that?_

Keith paused before replying. He stared at Shiro’s words, wondering when the change had occurred that they would just do things together. There was no asking whether they wanted to hang out with each other, it was just assumed. _And it didn’t bother him._ But this was just something that friends did, right? It was true that he had to schedule his plans with Hunk and Pidge because of their busy schedules, but now that he thought about it, he and Shiro always had access to each other when they were on their computers.

_And it didn’t bother him._

_Keith: Sure…_

_Shiro: Okay, I’ll get it set up and send you the link in a minute._

Keith waited, staring at his computer screen, but not really seeing it. His mind was anything but silent. A storm cloud of thoughts raging in his brain at what he was beginning to realize. And what he didn’t want to accept. The fact that he liked Shiro. Liked him more than just a little bit. The appearance of Shiro’s next message in the skype window briefly pulled him from his thoughts and he opened it without thinking. Tried focusing on the image on his computer screen even as music spilled from his speakers.

As the episodes progressed, Keith slowly ended up on his side, staring at his computer screen. His head was resting on his pillow and the other was clutched tightly to his chest. He knew what was coming. He _knew_ it. But that didn’t make the ending any easier to handle.

He did his best to stifle his sobs, trying to keep quiet even as tears poured down his cheeks when the credits rolled on the final episode. He wiped frantically at his cheeks. This was not how he imagined the end of his hell week going.

“Keith?” Shiro asked, his own voice uncharacteristically thick.

“I hate you so fucking much right now,” Keith mumbled.

“Are you…are you crying?”

“Yes, I’m fucking crying!! I don’t know how you could get through that and not cry!” Keith snapped, exasperated.

Shiro chuckled. “Just wanted to make sure I’m not the only one…”

“God I hate you.”

Shiro laughed again. “Hey, weren’t you supposed to get your grades back for finals?”

Keith sucked in a breath. “I really didn’t need that reminder.”

“Come on, I’m sure you did fine. And I want to know how you did.”

“Fine, fine.” He opened a new tab in his web browser and pulled up his student portal for his university. It took him a minute to navigate to the page and while it was loading he squeezed his eyes shut.

“Well?” Shiro asked expectantly.

Keith opened his eyes slowly, scrolling down the page to read over his updated grades. He relaxed the further down he got and felt relief wash over him.

“I passed. With flying colors, honestly.”

“See, I knew that you could do it! Great job, Keith.”

“Yeah, thanks.”

Silence fell between the two of them. Keith stared at his grades, the warmth that had bloomed in his chest from Shiro’s words not showing any signs of fading.

“Hey, Shiro…I’m going to call it a night. I’m exhausted and should get some sleep before I have to go into work tomorrow.”

“Oh. Yeah, yeah, don’t worry about it. I’ll talk to you later, then?”

“Yeah,” Keith answered, frowning. “Later.”

He closed out of everything that he had open and shut his computer. He sat back, thinking. Shiro had sounded almost disappointed by the fact that he had to hang up. He probably just didn’t want to be left alone since it wasn’t that late. And it was a Friday. Keith was sure that it had nothing to do with him. He reached for his phone and pulled up his list of contacts, scrolling down until he hit one of the people he knew he could talk to.

He held the phone up to his ear and waited as the ringing sounded in his ear.

“Hey, what’s up? Everything cool?” Pidge asked. It sounded like she was eating something.

“Yeah, yeah. I just need to talk to you about something. And Hunk if he’s around.”

“He’s not here right now, but I can relay the info when he gets back and get him caught up on the situation.”

Keith let out a breath. “Okay.”

“You didn’t bomb your mid-terms, did you? That’s not what this is about, right?” Pidge sounded worried.

“No. I just checked them. Passed with flying colors. That’s not the problem.”

“Is this about Shiro?”

Keith sighed, heavy and full of meaning. “Yeah…”

“Did something happen?”

“No.”

“So you didn’t tell him that you have a crush on him?”

Keith nearly choked. “No!”

“Relax, just checking. What’s the problem then?”

He sighed. “I just…I realized how much time that we actually spend together and talking to each other. Our friendship is just sort of assumed at this point and there’s not really a question that we won’t hang out or do something together.”

“Does that bother you?”

“No.”

“So what’s the problem?”

“I don’t know…I just…I feel like this is so much. So soon. And I like him, but isn’t that kind of weird? We only met online and have only been doing this for a couple of weeks. Isn’t that too soon?”

“Keith,” Pidge sighed, sounding both exasperated and fond, “You are pretty much shit at anything that comes to romantic feelings, aren’t you?”

“I…guess? Should I be insulted by that? I feel like I should be insulted by that.”

“You can be insulted by that statement all you want, but it’s true. So let me spell something out for you. Feelings aren’t this logical thing that you can dissect. You should know this, Keith, even though you are going into science. It’s not rational, these types of things just sort of happen. So if you’re comfortable with it all, it shouldn’t really be a problem.”

“I guess…” he said, reluctantly.

“Trust me, Keith. I know that you’re going to have doubts and you’re going to second guess every move that you end up making, but it doesn’t have to be that way. I know that it’s probably really scary. Not only are you putting yourself out there emotionally, but you’re also doing so with someone who you’ve started to largely consider a friend. But if you don’t ask him, you aren’t going to know where you stand.”

“But what if he doesn’t like me like that?”

“I’m going to be honest with you, Keith. There’s the chance that might happen. But that doesn’t mean you can’t still be friends. That doesn’t mean you still can’t do stuff together. If he doesn’t like you in a romantic way and insists on cutting off all ties because you have a crush, then he’s the asshole in this situation and doesn’t even deserve to have your affections if he reacts that badly to it.”

Keith smiled. “Thanks, Pidge.”

“I’m your friend. It’s what I do. But…you should tell him. You should put all of it out there, before you end up hurting yourself and him.”

“I’ll think about it.”

“You better,” Pidge warned. “The three of us should get together again soon and you can tell us how it goes. And maybe we can actually get through a couple of movies without you spacing out on us. Or force-feed you ice cream in case it does go badly.”

Keith chuckled, already feeling lighter. Maybe he could handle this whole situation. “Sounds like a plan.”

“You’re not going to curl up in a ball and cry your eyes out if I hang up now, are you? I think I just heard the front door open which means it’s time to spill all of your dirty secrets to Hunk.”

“You’re the worst.”

“Love you, too,” Pidge said before hanging up.

Keith locked his phone and let his hand fall to the bed. He stared across his bedroom, not really seeing what was in front of, allowing his mind to focus on the question and issue at hand. He thought about how the conversation would have to go and didn’t see any other outcome than it being so incredibly awkward. How was he going to tell Shiro how he _feels_?

He could just imagine the disgusted expression that would come over his features. He could already hear Shiro freak out on him.

_“I trusted you!”_

_“I thought that we were friends!”_

_“You’re disgusting!”_

Keith squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block out the thoughts and keep them away. He didn’t want to think about this. He didn’t want to think about it. It was bad enough with everything else that he was always forced to deal with, but now this was just one more thing. Shiro said that he could go to him with anything. He could talk to him about anything. How was he supposed to talk to him about this?

He curled into a ball on his side and gripped the long strands of his hair in his hands. It was only a moment before the tears were sliding down his cheeks. Unlike the last time that he’d cried, he was silent, body only shaking slightly with his agitated breathing. And God did he hate that Pidge knew him so well.

“I can’t-“ he gasped. “I can’t do this.”

He rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling, tears still sliding down his cheeks. “I can’t tell him. It’s going to ruin everything.” Grasping onto the broken determination that was rising up inside of him, Keith sat up and got out of bed. He turned and looked at his computer where it was still sitting on his bed. He shivered.

That was the thing that had started all of this. That had been the outlet for his frustrations and brought him to Shiro. But now it was mocking him. Because it had the power. It could destroy everything for Keith. Could absolutely wreck him. And if he let go and told Shiro about his feelings and it all blew up in his face? He didn’t know how he was going to come back from it.

“No. I can’t tell him. I can’t.”

Keith hurried over to his dresser and grabbed a change of clothes. Hopefully a shower would help him push all of this aside. He was too keyed up to sleep and he couldn’t exactly get back on his computer because Shiro would know. And that would only end up confusing him and hurting him. Shiro was the last person who Keith wanted to see hurt.

So he turned to the bathroom. He turned on the spray and stripped out of his clothes quickly. He tried to force his mind to go blank, which he was not very good at because every other second, thoughts of Shiro kept coming back to him. He kept thinking about his kind smile and bright eyes. Kept thinking about how soft his hair looked and how it would feel to run his fingers through it.

Keith squeezed his eyes shut. And if his tears happened to be hidden by the water running down his face, then that was fine, too. He’d let it go. He’d let the feelings remain. If he had to hide and keep them to himself he could do it. If he lost sleep thinking about what could be and remind himself why it can’t be. Then he could do that, too. If it broke him inside every time that he saw Shiro smile at him and reminded him that he’d never be able to feel his lips against his own… Then he could handle it.

Because he wasn’t about to ruin one of the few good things that he had going in his life. If his feelings ruined him, instead? Then he could handle it. Because it would mean that he would be the one suffering and not Shiro. He’d suffered a lot in his life. So what was one more thing added to the list? He’d content himself with the smiles that Shiro would give him and his bright laughter that would crackle through the speakers, the connection making it no less genuine.

He could handle it. He just had to keep reminding himself of that fact.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr: my-one-love-is-music.tumblr.com
> 
> Twitter: twitter.com/m_o_l_i_m


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here I am back with another chapter! I know that y'all are really going to like this one! 
> 
> And sorry for taking so long on this update. School and such and not writing for two weeks got this pushed back until now, but it's done and here for your reading pleasure!!! ^.^
> 
> <3 MOLIM

Keith groaned when his alarm went up. His head pounded with each note of the cheery tune and he fumbled to turn it off. How he managed to wake up with a headache was beyond him. He just hoped that a handful of aspirin would be enough to make the pain go away before work. Having a day long shift was the worst possible thing to deal with while suffering from a headache. Especially since it was a Saturday and there were bound to be a lot of idiot customers.

Reluctantly, he pulled himself out of bed and trudged from the bedroom, phone in hand. He had a few hours before he’d have to leave and he was going to do everything in his power to get this day turned around. Once he was in the bathroom, he sagged against the wall and pulled open the medicine cabinet, grabbing the bottle of pills that were bound to be his lifesaver for the day.

He pulled off the cap and poured two into his palm, popping them in his mouth and swallowing them dry before replacing the bottle in the cabinet.

Keith shuffled down the hall and made himself home in the kitchen, turning on the coffee machine and digging through the cabinets to find something to eat. Even after a full night’s sleep he still felt exhausted and he wasn’t sure if that was because he was coming off a week of studying and exams or because his brain was fixated on his little problem that he was intent on not letting be a problem.

He stared into his cabinets, not really seeing what was there. He knew he needed to make breakfast and he was hungry, but the thought of having to pour a bowl of cereal was even too much. Nonetheless, he pulled down the box of cereal from the cabinet and grabbed a bowl, shaking out enough cereal to fill most of it. He left the open box on the counter and pulled a spoon from his silverware drawer, leaning heavily against the counter as he began to eat.

The aspirin was helping a little bit. The pounding wasn’t quite so rough, but the effect wasn’t what he’d been hoping for. He was just glad that he didn’t have to interact directly with customers. He imagined that couldn’t be easy at all if the servers were feeling even a little bit off or unwell.

Keith finished up his breakfast and poured his coffee into one of the clean mugs that he had. He knew that he was going to regret leaving the dishes for that night, but he really couldn’t bring himself to even consider dealing with them. And when he got back he’d probably just put them off until the next morning anyway so it wouldn’t really matter one way or the other.

Two cups of coffee later, Keith was back in his room, digging around to find his clean black pants and shirt for the restaurant. He changed clothes quickly, giving his teeth a quick brush before he was grabbing his wallet and keys and throwing on a jacket for the walk over to the restaurant. He slipped on his gloves and even managed to dig out a scarf to keep the cold at bay.

He rubbed at his forehead as he walked through the front door to his building, the rush of cold air taking his breath away and sending a sharp stab of pain through his skull. He grit his teeth and forced himself to keep walking. He’d gotten the night off the day before. Linda was trusting him to come into work and take the double shift. He was the one who needed it. He couldn’t afford to miss work and he couldn’t put Linda in that position to find someone else to come in. it was going to suck, he knew that, but he’d just have to deal with it. Everyone had bad days.

Even though he wasn’t looking forward to the busy day ahead of him, Keith was grateful that he was going to be at the restaurant when it opened. It was always so comfortable in the morning. And one of the perks of working at the bar was that he didn’t have much prep work to do other than take down any supplies that they had and which bottles had been opened.

“Doors opening in ten minutes,” Linda said, walking through the dining room to assess that everything was in order. “Servers be ready. The dining room looks good, thank you!” She stopped in front of the bar and flashed a smile at Keith. “Feeling rested, I hope.”

“Sort of,” Keith said with a grimace. “I woke up this morning with a very bad headache, but I’m here and I’m going to be fine.”

She searched his face. “Okay. I’m not going to force you to leave, but if it gets worse I want you to tell me, okay? Working while unwell is one of the worst things to do and I don’t want you to feel like you have to put yourself through that.”

Keith nodded. “I will, Linda. But don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”

She nodded once before turning on her heel and heading back towards her office and the kitchen, no doubt to run last minute checks in there to make sure that everybody was ready for the incoming customers.

For most of the morning, he was able to sit back and watch as the customers came in. Occasionally, Keith would look through their supplies and glasses to make sure that everything was in good order, but none of the early diners were ordering drinks. Not that he was bothered by it. The pounding in his head only continued which made the dim restaurant lights seem brighter than they were and the soft music even louder.

He found that he could hardly even handle the soft murmurs of conversation that were coming from the customers.

“Keith, I know that you’re tired, but I really need you to be a little quicker on these drink orders, okay?” Linda asked.

Keith smiled, or tried to smile. He was sure that it was more than a little strained since the worry shining in Linda’s eyes didn’t dim at all.

“I’m sorry, Linda. I’ll get these done faster. I know that it’s not an excuse, but I’m just having an off day.”

She nodded and walked away, leaving him to his work. Somehow, he managed to turn over the drink orders faster, but amidst his pounding head and the scowl that he was surely wearing on his face, there were thoughts of Shiro.

He’d just realized his feelings for him and now they wouldn’t leave him alone. He’d told himself that he could deal with it, but he was starting to think that he wouldn’t actually be able to deal with it. He had to keep his mouth shut, because he was honestly afraid that he might snap at someone who wasn’t doing anything wrong and that would just make things worse.

It was one of the reason he was so relieved to have George coming in for the evening shift with him. Because if it was anyone else who he’d have to deal with, he wouldn’t have been able to do it. He knew that he wouldn’t have made it.

“Afternoon Keith!” George grinned brightly when he slipped behind the counter and began to wash his hands at the sink.

“Ugh, please leave your cheeriness outside. You’re far too happy,” Keith grumbled, setting his newly finished drink at the edge of the bar for pickup.

George grabbed the towel and dried his hands while scrutinizing Keith. “You okay? You look like you’ve had a rough day.”

“I just haven’t had a good day. I’ve had a headache since this morning and nothing has helped.”

“Did you ask Linda about maybe leaving early? I’m sure that I could handle this alone or we could find someone to come in,” he continued, starting in on the next drink order.

Keith shook his head. “As much as I’d like to, I can’t. Linda already gave me last night off because of mid-terms and I really need the money. It’s just a headache, I’m not dying or anything.”

George nodded. “Okay, but if you need an extra break or something, I can cover for you or if there’s anything else…”

“I’m fine alright? And I’ll let you know. I just don’t feel like trying to have a conversation. I don’t have that much mental energy and hearing the conversations from the rest of the dining room is already bad enough.”

“Yeah, sure thing man,” he murmured, focusing in on the drink that he was making.

As crazy and unlikely as it was, George’s agreement to keep quiet managed to dull the throbbing in his head just a little even as his thoughts got pulled back to Shiro.

Keith nearly collapsed with relief by the time the restaurant was closed for the night.

Him and George moved through their close-down procedures quickly, not wanting to take any longer than necessary. It had been a long day even if Keith hadn’t had a headache and been plagued by thoughts of his friend. They were both more than happy to get out of there for the night and Keith wouldn’t have to work until the following evening which would give him time to relax and feel better.

Linda walked up beside him as he was clocking out and shoved a plastic bag in his hands. “The kitchen staff wanted you to take home something to eat. They heard that you weren’t feeling the best today and thought they could help make your night a little easier.”

Keith looked inside the bag, utterly bewildered at the amount of containers that he found inside. It was far more than he was used to getting whenever they chose to give him dinner. “But-“

“No buts,” Linda argued, steering him towards the back door. “Just get home, eat, and go to bed. You look like you could use the rest and I want you to be in better shape before your next shift.”

“Yeah, thanks,” he replied absentmindedly, still staring into the bag while he walked through the back and shoved the back door open.

He walked home in a daze, not even noticing the biting chill that had wrapped around him as soon as he left the warmth of the building. He was so focused on wondering how the people that he worked with could be so nice that he almost forgot about his headache and the reason why his mood had been sour. But there was nothing stopping the thoughts from racing back once he stepped into the silence of his apartment. The silence was so loud and he brought up a hand to rub at his forehead as he moved into the kitchen.

Keith pulled off his gloves and tossed them onto the couch with his jacket as he passed by on his way to the bedroom. His laptop was where he’d left it the night before and he tucked it under his arm as he headed back to the kitchen to look through the food he’d been given and find something to eat.

He set his laptop on the table next to the bag and opened it absentmindedly before pulling the bag towards him. He pulled out the first container and found a generous portion of fettuccini alfredo. The sight of it made his mouth water and he grabbed a fork to take a bite before turning to the other containers.

They’d given him mashed potatoes, spaghetti Bolognese, some extra bread rolls, a huge slice of chocolate cake, and they even threw in a piece of cheesecake. Keith kept out a couple of the rolls and the cheesecake to eat after he finished the alfredo. The rest got shoved into his mostly empty fridge for later.

He finally let himself sit down at the table and was feeling so much better when a notification from his computer had him nearly jumping out of his chair in surprise. Without thinking, he hit the skype box that had popped up in the corner of his computer screen and was met with Shiro’s grinning face. He nearly choked on the food that he was eating.

Shiro frowned. “You okay, Keith?”

Keith stared at him and nearly winced when all of the thoughts and feelings that he’d been feeling all day came rushing back. He opened his mouth to speak, knowing that he needed to respond to Shiro. He had to say something. He’d told himself that he could handle just being friends, but it had only been one day and he was already so tired.

“Keith?” Shiro asked again. “Are you alright?”

Keith swallowed. “I…I uh…”

He stared down at the food in front of him. He thought about the kind workers at the restaurant who were always looking out for him and wanted to make sure that he had something hot to eat. He thought about Linda and how even though she’d chastised him at work, she’d done it with kindness to keep him from feeling worse.

“Keith?”

“I’m sorry!” he blurted. He rubbed the palms of his hands against his eyes, hoping this would be over as painlessly as possible. “I’m so sorry, Shiro. I told myself that I could do it. I told myself that I’d be able to handle it because I really enjoyed having you as a friend, but I can’t do it. I can’t.”

“What is it? What’s wrong? What can’t you do? Keith?” Shiro asked, voice frantic.

“I like you okay?” he admitted quietly. “I like spending time with you and hanging out and being stupid. I think you’re funny and amazing and I was prepared to take my feelings to my grave because I didn’t want to lose you as a friend. I didn’t want to scare you off or make you hate me, but I just can’t. I can’t keep this to myself. So if you don’t ever want to see me again…I understand.”

Silence fell between them. Keith wasn’t sure if he wanted Shiro to say something or if he wanted to let the silence stretch on forever. At least this way, he could pretend that he hadn’t just ruined everything and that they were still friends and it was going to be okay. But he was anxious because he didn’t know how he was going to react. He had no idea what Shiro was feeling. Didn’t know if he was disgusted or anything and couldn’t bring himself to look up from where his gaze was trained on his hands in his lap.

“Keith?” Shiro asked.

Keith bit his lip and fought the urge to screw his eyes shut.

“Keith, look at me.”

He let out a whoosh of air, but felt like the weight of the world was keeping him from lifting his head.

“Keith, look at me. Please.”

It was the please that did it. The hint of desperation in his voice that got Keith to lift his head and look at the screen. Shiro was watching him, eyes flitting around his face. He must’ve found whatever it was that he was looking for because he smiled, softly, a light flush coming to dust his cheeks, even visible through the darker lighting and poorer video quality.

“I’d never be so terrible of a person as to stop being friends with you just because you liked me. But…” Keith fisted his hands in his lap as he waited for the next part of Shiro’s statement. It held so much. Held answers and questions that he didn’t know yet. Waiting for what was coming caused Keith’s heartrate to skyrocket. He would’ve thought that the whole world could hear it as he waited to see if his world was about to be turned upside down or if it would stay the same.

“ _But_ ,” Shiro repeated, “I like you too.”

Keith felt his world tilt. He thought that he was about to end up on the floor, but he was still upright in his chair even as Shiro continued to talk to him.

“I’ve enjoyed spending time with you. Whether we were gaming or watching movies or just hanging out over skype while we did our homework. It was nice having someone else here with me. I never realized how quickly someone could wedge themselves into my life, but you did. I can’t imagine going back to the days without you even though they stopped mere weeks ago.

“You always seemed so independent. I thought, here’s a guy who’s doing everything himself. Someone who’s working his way through college and is going to have big life plans ahead of him. Someone who’s going to be so successful and have people running after him. I didn’t care if I only got to be with you over skype or by playing video games. Because you were there and being with you was as easy as breathing.

“So this is my way of saying that I like you, too.”

Keith felt lightheaded by Shiro’s admission. And it wasn’t until he realized he’d stopped breathing that he figured out why. He sucked in a breath and sagged back in his chair. Shiro was smiling at him. He was there, but he was also hundreds of miles away.

“So…what happens now?” Keith asked. “I’m not really familiar with how this whole thing works. Are we dating now? Is that what we’re doing?”

“I guess?” Shiro said, chuckling. “To be honest, I’m pretty much as lost as you are. We could watch a movie? I guess that would count as a date. I don’t know what you were doing when I called besides eating.”

“Yeah just eating dinner. I had a really rough day and the cooks sent me home with a ton of food.”

“So dinner and a movie then?”

“Only as long as you don’t pick something sad like that anime you made me watch.”

“I’m tempted to do, just that.”

“Don’t make me dump you, Shiro.”

Shiro’s laugh rang through the speakers as clear as a blue sky after a summer storm. Keith smiled to himself and picked up his fork to go back to eating. For once he was glad that he couldn’t handle the pressure of something. Because this was so much better.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made it y'all! I didn't think that I was going to end up getting this chapter posted this weekend because life was really hectic this past week, but I made it! 
> 
> <3 MOLIM

Keith blinked his eyes open and smiled. He felt more rested than he had in weeks with work and exams and stress. He rolled onto his back and stretched his arms over his head before reaching for his phone. Memories of the night before came back to him: eating dinner and watching a movie with Shiro. Joking and making comments about what they were watching. It was such a huge relief after he’d been stressing all day and worrying about his future or what was coming in his life. Worried that he was about to lose of his friends.

He was surprised to find that he had a few texts waiting for him on his phone. He didn’t have to work until the evening which meant he got to sleep in, but it wasn’t so late that his friends would’ve been up too long ahead of him. Usually he was the first one up in the morning so that he could work on his homework before his shift. The first messages were from the chat that he had with Hunk and Pidge.

_Pidge: Yo losers, we need to have another movie night._

_Hunk: I agree with this! Pizza and movies all the way._

_Pidge: We’re in, what about you Keith?_

_Pidge: Keiiiiithhhhh_

_Pidge: Answer us!!!_

_Hunk: Come on, Keith! Wake uppppp_

Keith rolled his eyes.

_Keith: Yes we do need another movie night. Next weekend is pretty full with work, but I think I’m off on Wednesday if you guys are cool with getting together in the middle of the week._

He switched over to the other message that was waiting for him and smiled.

_Shiro: Morrrrrrrning! :D Hope you slept well!_

_Keith: Morning Shiro. I feel more rested than I have in weeks. And I don’t have to work until tonight so my morning is blessedly free._

Feeling more motivated then he had in a while, Keith threw his blankets to the side and practically jumped out of bed to get to the kitchen for some breakfast. His computer was still there from the night before, but he’d managed to throw away the to-go containers that his dinner had been packed in.

While he pulled the box of cereal from the cabinet and a bowl his phone vibrated three times in quick succession on the counter. He picked it up and grinned.

_Pidge: PARTY ON WEDNESDAY_

_Hunk: Yesssss_

_Shiro: Free enough to do some gaming?_

He sent back an equally excited message to Hunk and Pidge because he was ready to spend some quality time with them where he wasn’t distracted by a certain someone and then sent a confirmation to Shiro. He finished making his breakfast and sat down at the table in front of his computer. There was no reason why he couldn’t multi-task and get in one run with Shiro before he would have to resign himself to doing more homework and then go in to work his shift.

~~

Things finally seemed to be working out in his life now that mid-terms were over and most of his stress for the moment had disappeared. He couldn’t even find it in himself to get angry over shitty customers at the restaurant. Because they didn’t matter. His classes had calmed down and he wouldn’t have to worry about grades again until it was time for finals. And those were still almost two months away.

And he had Shiro. Ever since Keith came out and admitted his feelings to him, things had gotten even better than they had been when they were still just friends. They got to text each other and talked to each other even more often than they had before. Sometimes, Shiro even managed to distract him so much that his thoughts would wander during class or he would find himself smiling for no reason.

It was no surprise that his friends began to notice his change in behavior and were quick to ask him about it when their movie night rolled around.

He pressed the buzzer for Hunk and Pidge’s apartment and waited, rubbing his hands together to generate a little warmth since he left his gloves at home.

“Hello?” Hunk asked, voice becoming distorted through the speaker.

“It’s Keith. Let me up.”

Hunk didn’t even respond, but the sound of the beep had Keith pulling the door open and stepping into the warmth of the building. He sighed and felt himself relax after tensing up in the cold. He headed for the stairs and pulled out his phone as he started to make the walk up, smiling when he saw the message that was waiting for him on the screen.

_Shiro: Enjoy your night off! Don’t go too crazy. You’ve got classes tomorrow, you know._

_Keith: Yeah, yeah. I’m having a movie night with Hunk and Pidge so don’t expect any texts from me._

_Shiro: You’re getting rid of me so quickly??? I’m hurt. :(_

_Keith: You’ll get me all to yourself later. It’s time for me to spend some much needed quality time with my friends._

_Shiro: Have fun!_

Keith shook his head and slipped his phone back into his pocket as he hit the floor for Hunk and Pidge’s place. When he looked up, he found Hunk standing in the doorway to their apartment with his arms crossed and an eyebrow raised.

“What?” Keith asked.

“Nothing,” he said, shaking his head. He smiled and stepped to the side, holding the door open for Keith.

“Okay…” Keith said, walking past him.

He toed off his shoes as Hunk shut the door behind him.

“Pidge! He’s here!” Hunk called.

Keith heard the sound of bare feet slapping the floor and watched as she swerved around the corner from the kitchen, finger raised in accusation.

“YOU!” she said.

“Okay…me?” he asked.

“You have some explaining to do and you are not allowed to leave this apartment until you give the two of us some much needed answers.”

“About what?”

“About why you’ve been acting so weird since the weekend.”

Keith looked between his two friends. “I haven’t been acting weird. Why do you think I’ve been acting weird?”

“You’ve been acting weird,” Hunk confirmed.

“Okay, I’ll bite. How have I been acting weird?”

“He doesn’t even know,” Pidge said, turning to look at Hunk.

“If this conversation is going to be this difficult, I’m going to need some pizza while we talk this out,” Hunk said, stepping around Pidge to head back to the kitchen.

“Let’s go, mister,” Pidge said, following Hunk.

Keith shook his head and walked after them. They had a few pizza boxes sitting on the counter and bottles of pop. He was glad that they hadn’t stocked up on the beer or alcohol because if this was going to be a long and tiring conversation, he would’ve ended up drinking too much and the next day of classes and work would not have been fun in the slightest and that was not what he needed at the moment.

He poured himself a cup of soda and sat down at the table. Hunk was nice enough to give him a plate of food while Pidge sat across from him, scrutinizing him carefully. Keith tried not to shift under her gaze. They’d been friends a long time, but there were still moments like this when she was able to make him uncomfortable like she could see right into his soul.

“So…” she began and Keith leaned back in his chair, taking of sip of his drink. “You obviously have not realized that it was happening, but you were acting weird. From what I could see. And Hunk’s observations have offered further proof to back up my suspicions.”

“And that would be…?” Keith prompted.

“I don’t have a definite conclusion yet, but you’ve been spending a great deal of time on your phone texting. Normally, I wouldn’t think anything of it. Everyone’s entitled to have other friends. We certainly don’t get all of your time because it’s _your_ time. But, Hunk has said that you’ll be texting up until class starts and even check your phone during lectures which is something that you’ve never been known to do.”

“You’ve also seemed kind of out of it,” Hunk broke in. “Normally you’re so focused on classes that it’s weird for you to not be paying attention. There were also times when it seemed like you were staring off into space and daydreaming. I’m not saying that’s an entirely bad thing, but you’ve always been so focused on classes and making sure that your grades were solid. We just want to make sure that everything’s okay and you’re not involved in something bad. I’d hate for something to happen to you during your last year of college when you’ve worked so hard to get here.”

Keith looked between his two friends and smiled. “I appreciate everything that you’re saying and your concerns. It’s nice to know that you guys are looking out for me, but I think you have a bit of a misunderstanding of what the situation is. It’s not bad.”

“So you’re not involved in some drug-running mafia that’s gotten you into their claws and are forcing you to cash in on a debt because they helped with college expenses all of these years and not it’s your turn to lead a new group of people to take on Chicago?” Hunk rattled off.

“No…how did you even come up with that conclusion?” Keith asked.

“It just seemed like the most logical at the time,” Hunk said.

“Well it’s definitely not that.”

“Okay. Then what is it?” Pidge asked, curiosity evident in her voice.

Keith felt himself flush and looked away. “Um…well…truth is, I’m not really sure how to put this into words and tell you.”

“You know that you can tell us anything, Keith,” Hunk said.

“I know…” He took a deep breath. “Okay. I’ll just come out and say it as best I can. You guys remember when I told you about Shiro right?”

Pidge stood abruptly, shoving her chair back. “Something happened between the two of you?!” she exclaimed.

“Well, yeah…essentially…”

“Did you finally tell him how you feel?” she asked. “Or did he confess to you? What happened?!”

“I sort of told him how I feel. It all sort of just tumbled out after work on Saturday. I’d had a bad day and I just couldn’t find it in myself to keep it in anymore and it all came out…” he said, trailing off.

“This is fantastic!” Pidge said.

“Congrats!” Hunk said.

“You don’t even know the rest of it!” Keith said, laughing. It was just like them to latch onto one part of the story and get all excited without knowing what else happened.

“Well hurry up and tell us before I start getting my own ideas about what happened!” Pidge explained and Keith knew that was the worst possible idea because she would come up with the most extreme scenarios that were highly unlikely but somehow made sense to her.

“Okay, okay, before you start overthinking things. So I told Shiro everything about how I feel and he said that he felt the same. And-“

“So you’re dating now, right?” Pidge asked eagerly.

“Well, yeah, basically. I mean-“

“This is fantastic!” she interrupted. “So that means you’ve been texting each other all week? That’s so cute!”

Keith flushed and looked away. “Yeah, well...”

“I’m happy for you, man,” Hunk said with a grin.

“Thanks, Hunk. I’m happy, too.”

“Does he send you cute space memes?” Pidge asked.

“Pidge…what?” Keith asked.

“Like what do you talk about? You like space and I’m sure that he knows that so does he send you space memes? Do you nerd out about _Star Trek_ and _Star Wars_ together?”

Keith shrugged. “We just talk. About everything and nothing. Random stuff, I guess.”

Pidge deflated. “Ugh that’s so…normal.”

“Yeah, well…wait, what were you expecting it to be?” he asked.

“I don’t know. Maybe for this super suave guy to sweep you off your feet and spin you around and whisper sweet nothings into your ear,” she said, waving her hand.

“I can assure you that it’s definitely not that. Do I even seem like the type of guy who would be in a relationship like that? Never mind, you know I don’t think I want to know the answer to that question. Is that everything that you wanted to ask about? Or is there more? Because I’d really like to sit down and watch a movie and eat some pizza instead of getting grilled about my new relationship.”

“She’s done,” Hunk broke in. Pidge shot him a look and he shrugged. “I really want to watch this movie. We can talk more about Keith’s boyfriend later.”

“Okay,” she sighed. “I’m done. For now.”

Keith rolled his eyes before collecting his plate and his drink so that he could move over to the couch. Pidge and Hunk joined him a moment later with their own food and settled down next to him. Hunk flicked the T.V. on and got their movie started quickly. Keith settled back into the couch and propped his feet up on the coffee table as he watched.

One of the best things about being friends with Hunk and Pidge and sharing their movie nights together was that they weren’t afraid to poke fun or make jokes about bad acting or horrible writing. They could sit around and laugh during something that was serious or critique a joke that was supposed to be funny but really wasn’t when you thought about it.

“I can’t believe this guy,” Pidge mumbled from where she was curled up against the arm of the couch. “He goes through all that trouble to make up this elaborate scheme only to find out that he was the one being tricked. I don’t know how anyone could be that ridiculous.”

“I get the whole falling for someone else’s plan,” Hunk broke in thoughtfully. “But what he was trying to do was way too complicated. It was never going to work because someone would’ve noticed what he was up to or would become suspicious by his actions. There was just no way that could’ve been realistic as badass as they filmed it.”

“They just wanted to use as many explosions as possible. But half of those don’t even make sense because the chemicals that would’ve been available wouldn’t have mixed to create that kind of explosion,” Keith huffed. “They need to take a look at the science aspect of things. Explosions aren’t going to make something a box office hit. It’s only going to cost them more money.”

Hunk held out his hand and Keith gave him a high-five.

“How old is this guy anyway? Like 60?” Pidge continued. “Should he even be able to take that much of a beating?”

“It helps that he’s not actually getting hit. And the person who is taking the hits is the 20-year-old stunt double,” Keith murmured.

He stifled a yawn. It was getting late and the many, many pizza slices that he’d eaten were making themselves known by trying to get him to go to sleep. Carb comas were always fun.

Pidge mirrored his yawn and leaned over Hunk to swat at him, still keeping her eyes on the screen where the main character was sitting on the floor in handcuffs while the mastermind explained the whole plan to him.

“Don’t yawn,” she said. “You’re making me yawn and this movie isn’t over yet. We can’t be tired, it’s only ten.”

“It’s also a Wednesday,” Keith argued. “And we have classes tomorrow. And we ate a shit-ton of pizza.”

“You’re right, it’s definitely the pizza,” she agreed. “But still. Don’t make me yawn.”

“We only have a little longer until this movie’s over,” Hunk added. “We can make it until the end and then it’s time for bed.”

Murmurs of agreement came from both Pidge and Keith as they sunk further into the couch. Keith’s eyes wanted to close, but he forced them to stay open. He was to the point where he didn’t even really know what was happening on screen anymore, but he didn’t really care. He just knew that he didn’t want to fall asleep on their couch because they’d be too nice to wake him back up and he didn’t need to be in a rush the next morning.

The last few minutes dragged by and Keith thought that he really was going to end up falling asleep, but he managed to make it. He nearly cheered when the credits started to roll. It meant that he was only a short walk away from being back at his apartment and falling into his bed for some much needed mid-week rest. He sat up and stretched his arms over his head, looking over at where Hunk and Pidge were. Hunk was rubbing his eyes and Pidge was very much asleep. Her head was resting against the armrest, forcing her glasses to become skewed and pressed against her face.

He shared a look with Hunk who just smiled and shook his head fondly.

“You go ahead and get home,” he said. “I’ll get Pidge into her room so she can sleep in bed.”

“Thanks, Hunk,” he said, standing carefully. “Tonight was fun. I needed it.”

“Totally. We all did. I can’t wait until we can all get together again. But that might not be until Thanksgiving if we’re all being honest,” he said, standing with Pidge cradled against his chest.

Keith chuckled softly. “Probably. But this next month until break rolls around is going to be busy. And then it’s only a few more classes until finals.”

Hunk groaned. “That’s not something that we need to be thinking about yet, Keith.”

“I know, I know. Sorry. But yeah, we should try and have another night together before Thanksgiving.”

He nodded. “I’ll let Pidge know tomorrow after she wakes up and gets moving. You go on home and get some sleep. We all need it, but you definitely do with how hard you’ve been working.”

Keith waved at Hunk as he walked down the hall. He slipped his shoes on and gave one last look at the apartment, smiling softly, before stepping out into the hallway and heading for the stairs.


	15. Chapter 15

Keith sat down heavily at his kitchen table and tried to stifle a yawn. It was a Friday, but he’d just gotten off work and needed to get some homework down since his weekend was going to be packed with shifts at the restaurant and he had to take advantage of every bit of free time that he had. He opened his laptop and couldn’t help the smile that pulled at his lips as soon as a skype call came through. He answered it quickly and sat back with his cheek propped against his fist.

“Hi Shiro.”

Shiro grinned at him and waved like the dork he was. “Hey Keith. How was work?”

He shrugged. “Work was work. Not the worst it’s ever been for a Friday night, but I have a busy workload this weekend so I need to get some homework done tonight.”

Shiro made a face and leaned back in his chair, bringing a spoonful of ice cream to his mouth. “Homework on a Friday. Sounds gross.”

Keith sighed and reached for his backpack. “I didn’t say it wasn’t gross, but it’s something that I unfortunately have to do if I’m still going to graduate at the end of the year.”

He laid out several books on the table, pushing his laptop a little further away to make room before flipping his notebook open to a clean page. He started in on the physics problems that he’d been assigned for the weekend, enjoying the silence that was between them.

“Hey, Halloween’s next weekend, right?” Shiro asked, breaking the silence between them.

Keith furrowed his brow. “I think so. Why?”

“You doing anything fun?”

Keith shrugged. “Probably working. Unless Linda decides to give me the night off to enjoy my youth or something, but I really need the money so it’s not a big deal. What about you? Any fun parties that you’re going to?”

He squinted at his math. Something looked wrong, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

“There are always some pretty big parties on campus and some of the fraternities put haunted houses together. I’ll pass on those, but Lance and Allura might do something with me. I think last year we ordered pizza and just hung out and watched scary movies.”

Keith snapped his fingers and scrubbed at his work with his eraser to fix the mistake that he’d made.

“That sounds like fun. That’s what Hunk and Pidge will probably do anyway. When they’re in between rounds of having to pass out candy to kids who knock on their door.”

Shrio sighed wistfully. “I miss the days of trick-or-treating. Being a kid was so easy.”

Keith shrugged. “I guess. I kind of just see it as having had different worries as a kid and now that I can look back at everything I did it just seemed easier compared to everything that I have to worry about now.”

His vision blurred slightly and he rubbed at his eyes, trying to clear the exhaustion that was threatening to pull him under.

“You okay? You look tired,” Shiro asked.

“I am, but it’s nothing that I haven’t had to deal with before. I’ll be okay and it’s the weekend, but I really need to get some more work done.”

“You won’t be able to do much if you’re that tired. The numbers and problems are just going to be swimming in front of your eyes and won’t make any sense as much as you try to make it happen. You should really get some rest and work on it tomorrow after you’ve had some sleep.”

“I know…but I only have a few problems left for this and I don’t want to leave anything without finishing it…as much as I’d like to listen to you and just go to bed, I can’t. Not with work ahead of me. If I had some coffee I’d be okay, but having a caffeine addiction can get expensive after a while.”

Keith looked down at his paper and blinked to try and make the numbers and words focus.

“I know that you want to get it done, but it’s important to take care of yourself too. Odds are, it’ll take you twice as long to get through the problems now then it would when you’re well rested. So in reality, you’ll be able to sleep more if you go to bed now and can get through your work quicker in the morning.”

Keith smiled ruefully and looked at Shiro where he was perched in his chair.

“I bet the real reason you want me to go to bed is so that you can sleep. You’re just trying to use my own exhaustion against me so that you don’t have to admit how tired you are.”

Shiro chuckled. “That’s not it at all. I just don’t want you to run yourself into the ground if you can help it. I’d rather not lose the one guy who’s reciprocated my feelings in my lifetime.”

“Okay…okay. I’ll go to bed if it’ll make you feel better. At least you’re not here in person. Then you probably would’ve physically dragged me to my room and made things worse.”

Something seemed to flash in Shiro’s eyes at his words. Keith wasn’t sure if it was hope or something else, but he didn’t feel like dwelling on it too long.

“Maybe one day I can be there and pull your ass to bed so that you actually get the kind of sleep that you need.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Keith mumbled. “I’ll talk to you later, Shiro. And if you’re up in the morning you can stare at me while I work on my homework again. I know how much you love doing that.”

Shiro shrugged. “There’s no way I couldn’t look at you, baby.”

Keith stared at him even as blood rushed to his face at the words. “Shiro! You can’t just say that!”

Shiro bit his lip as his eyelids drooped. “Why not? I like it. I think I’ll use that more often.”

“You better not!” Keith protested. If anything he liked the endearment a little too much. “I’m hanging up now. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Bye, baby,” Shiro said just before he ended the call.

Keith groaned and let his head fall to the table. And immediately lifted it back up if he wanted to make it anywhere near his bed without falling asleep. He sighed and shut his computer before grabbing his phone and heading to the bedroom. He really didn’t need Shiro doing anything else to embarrass him like that.

He never thought that he’d be one for pet names, but it’s not surprising that Shiro would be able to pull so many different reactions from him.

~~~

Keith blinked his eyes open and panicked that he wasn’t waking up to an alarm. He reached for his phone to check the time and saw that it was a few minutes before his phone was set to even go off. He stared at it before sitting back, a little stunned. He couldn’t even remember the last time that he’d been able to wake up on his own, let alone before his phone even went off.

Shaking his head, he threw off the covers and climbed out of bed. He padded out to the kitchen, stretching his arms over his head and poured himself a glass of water before sitting down at the table in front of the books that he’d left out the night before. He let his computer boot up while he finished up the last couple of problems that he hadn’t managed to finish, feeling relieved when he could finally set the book aside until he needed it for his next class.

He grabbed one of his other books and put on a playlist of soft, classical music before he began to read, finding the material less stifling and boring than he would have on any other day.

Keith made it through a couple of pages before his phone vibrated on the table. He checked the time and saw that he still had a few hours before he needed to get ready for work so it wasn’t Linda asking him where he was. He checked his phone and couldn’t stop the smile that tugged at his lips from seeing a message from Shiro.

_Shiro: Gooooood morning!!!!_

_Keith: Morning, Shiro_

_Shiro: You’re well-rested, I hope?_

_Keith: Very. I even managed to wake up before my alarm went off and getting through my homework is so much easier than it would’ve been last night._

_Shiro: See? I told you that it would be! You should listen to me more often. It might do you some good._

Keith rolled his eyes.

_Keith: If I listened to you, I probably would’ve failed out of college by now for sleeping instead of doing work._

_Shiro: Hey!_

_Keith: Or I would’ve lost my apartment because you would’ve convinced me to quit my job so that I could focus on my studies, but then I wouldn’t have any money to buy groceries or pay rent._

_Shiro: There’s no need to be so mean! : (_

Keith chuckled.

_Keith: I’m kidding, I’m kidding. But you probably would’ve caused my grades to slip at least since you want me to sleep instead of doing my work._

_Shiro: Not instead of doing your work, just sleeping before you do your work so that you can actually focus._

_Keith: Uh huh, sure. But if there’s nothing else you need, I need to get back to my reading since I have to work later._

_Shiro: Skype?_

_Keith: Sure._

Keith set his phone to the side and went back to his reading, reaching blindly for his computer when it started making noise at him. He finally tore his eyes away from the words and accepted the call, not even sparing a glance at Shiro’s face before he was finishing the sentence that he’d paused in the middle of.

“What? Not even a hello?” Shiro asked.

Keith knew he was smiling and continued to read. “Nope. I told you that I had to do homework. You can’t just say you aren’t a bad influence and then get mad at me for prioritizing my homework, Shiro.”

“Aw, baby…” he whined.

Keith felt himself flush and cleared his throat, hoping that it wasn’t too obvious how much the nickname got to him.

“I can easily hang up if you’d rather have that,” he threatened instead.

“No, I don’t like that idea.”

“I didn’t think you would. Now do some of your own work while I get this reading done. I have to go to work tonight and I don’t want to end up stressing out if I get behind on this because of you.”

Shiro sighed. “Okay, okay. You made a fair point. I’ll stop bugging you.”

“Thank you,” Keith said.

He heard some papers rustling through the speakers and finally let himself peek at Shiro out of the corner of his eye. He had a book propped up on his computer and was focused on reading, looking relaxed and content. Keith tried to suppress his smile at the sight, but knew that his lips were turned up at the ends regardless.

He huffed at himself and went back to reading. Maybe one of these days he could enjoy an evening with Shiro without having to worry about work or school. But he couldn’t imagine that that was about to come anytime soon.

~~

By the time Keith got back from his double shift at the restaurant he was tired, but content. It hadn’t been a bad day and most of the customers had been nothing but friendly.

_Keith: I’m done with work and thanks to your cooperation this morning, have most of my work done so that means you don’t have to stare at me scratching on papers if you don’t want to._

_Shiro: Movie?_

Keith kicked off his shoes at the front door and grabbed his computer, holding it close as he typed out a quick response.

_Keith: Sure. What are we watching?_

_Keith: Nothing like that last anime okay?_

_Shiro: …fine…I guess I can find something on Netflix._

Keith grabbed his computer and carried it into his bedroom with him. He let it boot up while he changed into something more comfortable and settled himself on the bed.

_Shiro: What about_ Captain America: Civil War _?_

_Keith: Fine with me._

_Keith: Set it up._

_Shiro: So bossy, jeez._

_Keith: Please, you love it._

_Shiro: Sadly I do._

_Shiro: I’m sending the link to you now._

Keith’s skype pinged and he pulled up the message that Shiro had sent him. He clicked on it and was brought to the website they’d used before to stream the anime. This time, Shiro had the video feed up so they could see each other while they watched.

“Ready?” Shiro asked with a grin.

Keith smiled. “Yeah.”

Keith let his eyes linger on Shiro for a moment even as the movie began to play. He let himself curl up against his pillows and allowed his brain to finally rest now that he didn’t have anything he had to focus on and could just let himself be.

~~

“Keith? Keith?”

Keith blinked his eyes open slowly and brought up a hand to rub at the sleep in his eyes.

“What time is it?” he asked.

“It’s 11:30. You fell asleep but I didn’t want to wake you and then the movie ended and I was worried that you might accidentally kick your laptop off your bed if I left you like that.”

Keith smiled and let his head fall back against the pillows. “Thanks. That is definitely something that could’ve, and probably would’ve, happened and I can’t exactly afford a new computer right now. I just hope that I can get back to sleep now.”

“Sorry,” Shiro said, sheepishly.

“No, no, it’s fine. I’d rather save my computer than worry about a few extra hours of sleep.”

“You think you can get back to sleep?” he asked.

Keith nodded. “Yeah. Which is what I should go do. I’ll talk to you tomorrow, okay?”

“Okay, babe. Bye,” Shiro said, grinning.

Keith rolled his eyes and exited out of his web browser before shutting down his computer. He turned off the lamp on his bedside table and pulled out his phone to set an alarm for the next morning. As much as he was worried about not being able to fall back asleep, he had no trouble rolling back over and burrowing under the covers. It was only a few moments before his breaths evened out and he was lost to the world of dreams once again.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I've been gone a while, but life got really crazy and only got back to a somewhat regular posting schedule recently. I'm hoping to keep this going forward and things won't get behind when NaNo starts next week. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy the chapter! I think there's something that'll make up for the wait. ;)
> 
> <3 MOLIM

Keith’s semester seemed to pass in a blur after mid-terms happened and he and Shiro started dating. He got lost in his schoolwork and his work-work, and all of the little dates and chats he had with Shiro over text and Skype. He barely remembered Halloween and Thanksgiving was merely a wisp of existence in the fabric of his life. He stayed safely indoors during the hell that was Black Friday shopping and made it to the end of classes.

Unfortunately, the quick passage of time also meant new forms of stress and worries over his exams and his last semester that would be coming once the awe of the holidays wore off and his responsibilities returned again. It also meant that he was once again reminded of how tenuous his financial situation could quickly become and how little control he was at risk of having over it if he didn’t manage his time and choices well.

There wasn’t anything to suggest that he was in a bad spot during his meeting with the financial office, but that never stopped the old anxieties and worries from returning with a vengeance. He was tormented with thoughts on the way home of his grades not being good enough no matter how hard he studied. His scholarship would be taken away and he’d be left on the corner of the street after being evicted from his apartment and fired from his job because there was no way Linda would ever keep someone who was a dead-end college student who couldn’t manage their finances and wasn’t smart enough to keep everything under control.

Keith felt the old urge return to apply for scholarships even though he’d just sent in a few more applications for his last semester. Any little bit of money that he could get his hands on would help, but the thought of being left with nothing and without a support network because, really, who would want to be friends with a deadbeat? It was crushing. It was eating him up inside and he had nowhere to go and nowhere to turn to and he thought that he was on the verge of dying because he just needed to _breathe._

He stumbled into his apartment and struggled towards his bedroom. His phone vibrated in his pocket but he ignored it, more focused on drawing in any bit of oxygen he could and making it to his bed before he was sure to collapse.

He dropped his bag on the floor and practically fell onto his mattress, kicking his shoes off as he went. His phone vibrated again and he grudgingly pulled it out of his pocket to check that it wasn’t Pidge or Hunk trying to get into is apartment because they could sense he was dying.

_Shiro: Hey, baby! You up for Skype tonight? You know, celebrate the end of classes?_

_Shiro: You’re not still in your financial meeting are you? You said you’ve be out by now, but sorry if I’m intruding and it went longer than usual._

Keith sighed and hugged it to his chest while he screwed his eyes shut. He wanted to block out everything. He felt like he didn’t deserve Shiro’s kindness. It would only weigh him down. Shiro deserved better. He deserved to have someone who wasn’t on the brink of drowning under pressure and breaking from the force of the world dragging him along.

As usual, the tears came unbidden. They gathered in the corners of his eyes and before he could even hope of wiping them away, they spilled over, replaced as quickly as they’d gone. He turned his face into his pillow and let out a low sob, feeling the need to muffle his cries even though there was no one around to hear them.

His phone vibrated with another couple of messages, one right after the other and he fought to clear the tears away so that he could read what was on his screen.

_Shiro: Keith? I’m worried, is everything okay?_

_Shiro: I’m sorry if you’re still in your meeting, but I’m calling._

Keith wiped at his tears and fought to make his shaking fingers cooperate so that he could type out a response. He only got one letter on the screen before Shiro’s call came through and the next hit of his finger landed on the answer button. He sighed, knowing he couldn’t ignore the situation now.

“Keith? I’m so glad you answered. Are you okay?” Shiro asked, voice tense.

“I’m…” his voice hitched as he fought to draw in a breath.

“Are you crying? Baby, what happened? Please talk to me?” Shiro spoke quickly, words blending together. “Did someone hurt you? Did something bad happen?”

“I’m fine,” Keith said, sniffling. “I just came back from my financial meeting.”

“Oh,” Shiro said, sounding a little relieved. “What happened? What’s got you so upset?”

“The same stuff that always does whenever I have to talk about money and paying for college,” he said, rubbing at his eyes. “Everything started to pile up and became this huge thing and I just felt the weight of it all crushing me and I couldn’t stop thinking about what would happen if the slightest thing went wrong and I lost my scholarship or if I couldn’t get a job and what I would have to do to pay for it all and what would come after that if I-“

“Babe, calm down,” Shiro interrupted. “You need to take a deep breath and relax for a moment.”

Keith tried to follow his instructions. His breathing was still shaky, but it helped to ebb the panic that had been returning seconds before.

“That’s better. Now, I’m not going to lie to you and say that none of that would ever happen in a million years, but you’ve been so careful about everything and you’ve planned for this. You can do it, Keith. You’re going to graduate and you will find a job. And if you happen to have some trouble you’ve got great friends who will help take care of you.”

“I know, but what if-“

“No what ifs, babe. You can make it through this. There’s no need to stress over it. What happens, happens. The best you can do is make something of a bad situation.”

Keith sniffed and wiped at his nose. “Thanks, Shiro.”

“Anytime, babe.”

He sighed. “I wish that you could be here,” he whispered, not realizing how much he really wanted that to happen until the words came out of his mouth.

“What-really?” he asked.

“Yeah…I really wish that I could be with you right now.”

“Well…”

Keith bolted up in bed, his head spinning from the sudden change. “Well?” he breathed.

“I mean, we both do have breaks coming up so…theoretically we could make it work.”

Keith pulled his knees to his chest and wrapped his free arm around them. “Would you want to? I don’t know if I could leave with work and everything, but would it be possible for you to come up here?”

“Domestic flights aren’t too expensive so I don’t see why not. And you have a job and I wouldn’t want to make you feel like you have to take time off either to come visit me or for me to be up there…”

“It shouldn’t be a problem to have a couple days off. The real issue would be buying a plane ticket…” Keith trailed off, knowing that in his already meager savings, he didn’t have any room for such a large expense if he could avoid it.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Shiro asked, voice picking up speed.

Keith could sense Shiro’s repressed excitement and it ignited something in him. “Yes. I want to see you. We’ve known each other for a few months now, I don’t see anything wrong with it.”

“There’s just…one thing,” Shiro said, hesitance creeping into his voice.

“Oh. What is it?” Keith asked, hoping it wasn’t something really weird or strange.

Shiro let out a deep breath. “You know how when we first started to game and there was that storm here and I told you that I had anxiety and had trouble with storms?”

The memory of that night was vivid.

“Yeah, of course I remember.”

“Well the reason I have anxiety and get nervous around storms is that-“

“Shiro, you don’t have to force yourself to tell me this.”

“I know, but I want to. You’re important to me and I want you to know this.”

“Okay, if you’re sure.”

“I am,” he breathed. “So a few years ago, I got into a really bad car accident with my parents. Most of what I remember is the loud blaring of a horn before the crash and then pain and darkness. My mom died in the crash, but my dad came out of it with minimal injuries. I…wasn’t that lucky. Because of where the car hit, my hand got caught when the door bent inwards.”

Keith sucked in a harsh breath.

“Yeah, so they had to amputate my hand.”

“I’m so sorry, Shiro.”

“It’s okay, Keith. You didn’t know, but one of the reasons I’m telling you this is because I have a prosthetic hand.”

Keith blinked. “That’s it?”

“Umm…yes?” Shiro said, confused.

“Shiro, I’m not going to think any less of you whether you have a prosthetic or not. I like you for who you are and the person I got to know through our gaming sessions and skype dates. I’m not going to shove you aside because of what happened after a car accident.”

Shiro sighed and Keith smiled.

“Were you really that worried about what I would think?” he asked.

“Yes. It seems silly to think I was worried you’d want to break up, but I’ve had so many interactions with people who can’t seem to see past my prosthetic and it’s hurtful and I was nervous to tell you because I wasn’t sure what you would think and I knew it would be so easy for you to disappear since we’ve only known each other through the computer and-“

“Shiro,” Keith said, cutting him off. “Take a breath, babe.”

Shiro chuckled. “Sorry.”

“There’s nothing to be sorry about,” he assured him. “Is there anything else you want to tell me? Things that might be helpful for you?”

“I don’t like sudden, loud sounds. Which is why I don’t like thunderstorms. And then if anyone sort of jumps out at me or catches or touches me unaware that startles and unsettles me.”

“So no surprises,” Keith said.

“No surprises,” he agreed.

Silence fell between them.

“So…” Shiro said.

“So,” Keith agreed.

“Do you have to work tonight?”

“Nope. With finals approaching, I’m all yours. My workload is a bit less than it’s been the rest of the semester and Linda is trying not to overwhelm me with too many shifts and always promises to give me more work during break to make sure that my earnings don’t slip.”

“Feel like having a skype date?” he asked.

“That sounds great. And like exactly what I need,” Keith agreed.

“Great. You got your computer?”

“Yeah, one sec.” Keith cradled his phone between his shoulder and his ear as he reached for his backpack, pulling his laptop from its home inside of it. He opened it quickly and before he could even pull up his own skype before Shiro’s call came through. He ended the call on his phone before answering it. “Hey, Shiro.”

Shiro grinned and raised his right arm, giving a little wave. For the first time Keith noticed where the prosthetic trailed up the arm to meet the scarred skin around his bicep. Keith was sure that he was doing it on purpose since he’d never seen it before.

Keith settled back against his pillows and smiled back at Shiro, something in his chest warming at the sight.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter officially brings this fic over the minimum length of a novel. It's crazy to think that it's gotten so long, but we've still got more to go and I hope you're looking forward to it. 
> 
> Especially after this chapter, because it's a good one. :D
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> <3 MOLIM

Keith wiped down the kitchen counter for the third time that morning. When he was finished, he tossed the wet wipe in the trash and hurried back into the bathroom. He stared at himself in the mirror and pulled at the hem of his black shirt nervously. He knew he looked fine, but it felt like something was wrong or missing.

He jolted when the alarm on his phone went off from where he’d left it in the other room. He hurried out and turned it off, feeling his hands start to shake from nerves. He slipped on his leather jacket and gloves, shoving his wallet and phone into his pockets and grabbing his keys. He glanced around his apartment one last time, still feeling like it wasn’t good enough even though it was spotless.

He locked his door behind him and flew down the stairs, hitting the sidewalk a little faster than he needed to, but it worked out when he got to the bus stop just before his bus pulled up. He flashed his pass and took a seat near the back away from all the people who were headed to the airport for flights and loaded down with luggage.

He’d brought extra fare along for Shiro on the ride back. He’d thought about getting a cab so Shiro wouldn’t be pressured to ride the bus, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to afford it on his own and didn’t want to force Shiro to split it with him. Not when it would take the same time to get back to his apartment complex whether they took a cab or the bus.

Keith pulled out his phone and opened up the message thread he had with Shiro, looking over the last few texts he’d gotten.

_Shiro: I can’t believe the day is finally here! I couldn’t sleep last night because I was so excited._

_Keith: You’re such a dork_

_Shiro: Only for you, baby_

_Keith: Shut up._

_Shiro: I’m on my way to the airport_

_Keith: Are you just going to narrate your entire morning to me?_

_Shiro: Do you have a problem with that?_

_Keith: I mean, not really, but it is kind of distracting me from cleaning._

_Shiro: You don’t need to trouble yourself on my account : (_

_Keith: Of course, I do. You’re my boyfriend. You’re worth the trouble_

_Shiro: Now who’s saying sappy things?_

_Keith: Shut up._

_Shiro: I’m through security and waiting at my terminal. I can’t believe this is finally happening._

_Keith: You and me both. You’re going to be good on a plane? Your anxiety won’t affect you will it?_

_Keith: Shit, I didn’t think about that until now_

_Shiro: It’s fine, Keith. I shouldn’t have any issue flying_

_Keith: Oh. Okay_

_Shiro: I’m boarding now. I’ll see you on the other side._

_Keith: Have a safe flight_

Keith leaned back in his seat and blew out a breath. He locked his phone and squeezed it tightly in his hands.

The buildings creeped by as they made the last couple of stops to pick up passengers before turning towards the airport. He was glad when they left the city traffic behind and covered the distance more quickly. He was stuck at the back of the bus when they finally did arrive and he had to wait for everyone else to file out and unload their bags before he could step off.

He gripped his phone tightly in his hand and then changed his mind, turning on the ringer before slipping it into his back pocket. He turned in the opposite direction of the ticket counters and walked towards where baggage claim was located. He hung back past the last carousel and watched as crowds of people came through the doors from where their flights landed.

He pulled out his phone and checked the time. Shiro should be getting in soon. He hoped he wasn’t too early. He didn’t want to look suspicious and be kicked out by security when he was waiting for his boyfriend.

His phone beeped in his hand and looked to find a text from Shiro.

_Shiro: Just got off my plan. I’ll be down to baggage claim in a couple minutes. See you soon!_

Keith felt happiness and excitement well up inside of him. He struggled to keep from smiling like an idiot, but knew he looked every bit the infatuated dork he’d become. Energy thrummed under his skin and he fought to keep his fingers still enough to type out a response.

_Keith: I’m already waiting her for you_

He shoved his phone back into his pocket and turned his eyes back to the door. He watched every face that came through, waiting to see Shiro’s among the crowd. He felt his frustration grow when he wasn’t the next person to come through. The flow of the crowd stopped, letting the door fall completely closed.

A beat passed and it was shoved open roughly. Keith’s breath caught as Shiro’s face came into view, eyes flitting from one face to the next until they finally settled on his own. Shiro stumbled to a stop as their eyes locked and Keith felt his lips stretch wide in a giddy grin.

Keith didn’t hesitate, feet pounding across the floor as he rushed towards Shiro. Shiro did the same throwing his arms wide as they came together and wrapped them tightly around him. Keith buried his face in Shiro’s neck, feeling complete and whole and safe. He squeezed Shiro close, reveling in their close contact after so many months and so much waiting. Shiro pulled back and bit his lip, eyes glancing down to his lips.

Keith’s breath caught. He closed the distance an inch in question. Shiro responded, dipped his head closer, but not enough for them to come together. Keith let all of his reservations go and closed the last distance between them. Shiro’s lips were warm and soft against his own, his grip tightening around his waist.

The last stress and tension living in Keith’s muscles dropped away as relief overtook everything else. They pulled apart to gaze at each other and find reassurance they were both actually there.

“Keith…” Shiro whispered. The one word was enough to bring him back, to solidify everything in him and reinforce how right all of this was.

He cradled Shiro’s face in his hands and pulled him back down to claim his lips again. Shiro tried pulling him closer and Keith tangled his fingers in the longer strands of Shiro’s undercut. Before he could become too lost in the kiss Shiro pulled back.

“As much as I’d like to continue this, I think I should get my bag and we can pick up where we left off later when we don’t have an audience,” Shiro said, glancing around.

Keith cleared his throat and let his hands fall away, stepping back. “Yeah, that’s probably best,” he said, laughing lightly. He moved to shove his hands into his pockets, but Shiro grabbed hold of one of his hands. Keith looked up in question and saw Shiro look away as pink dusted his cheeks. Shiro twined their fingers together and Keith felt his own face heat up.

Shiro tugged him down the line of carousels to the one his luggage would be dumped onto. They stayed behind the crowd that had gathered next to the belt, waiting for their luggage to come around.

“Oh there’s mine,” Shiro said, dropping Keith’s hand and slipping through the crowd. He pulled a black duffle from the belt and made his way back to Keith, taking his hand without a second thought.

“Do you mind taking the bus?” he asked as they headed towards the exit.

“Not at all. It’ll be a great way to see the city,” Shiro said with a smile.

Keith shivered as the doors opened and they were hit with a blast of cold air.

“I’m not in Florida anymore,” Shiro said, bracing himself against the wind and letting out a breathy chuckle.

Keith huffed a laugh. “That’s for sure.”

“Hang on,” Shiro said, pausing to dig through his duffle. He pulled out a black beanie and stuck it on his head.

“Better?” Keith asked, trying to suppress a smirk.

“Much,” Shiro said, snatching Keith’s hand in his and leaning down to kiss the side of Keith’s head.

“Come on, we don’t want to miss the next bus or we’ll have to wait even longer in the cold,” he said, tugging him down the row of stops until they got to the one that would take them back to Keith’s apartment. There were a few other people in line already huddled together to stave off the wind.

“I brought extra fare for you,” Keith said, digging out his wallet.

“You don’t have to do that,” Shiro said, curling Keith’s fingers back around the coins in his hands. “I can pay for my own fare. How much is it?”

“$2.25,” Keith mumbled.

Shiro pulled out his wallet and got the fare ready in time for when the bus pulled up to the stop. The crowd in front of them hurried on first. Keith scanned his pass and Shiro handed his change to the driver.

They moved towards the back of the bus where most of the empty seats were. Since Shiro didn’t have a suitcase that he had to handle it was much easier for them to take his things to the back of the bus even if there was less leg room. Keith took the seat next to the window and Shiro squeezed into the seat next to him.

“I’m expecting a full tour of the city,” Shiro joked, knocking shoulders with him.

“I don’t know how trusty I am as a tour guide, but I’ll do my best,” he said, smiling back at Shiro before letting his gaze slide back to the window. The glass and the side of the bus was cold and he instinctively shifted away from it to keep warm. Shiro let go of Keith’s fingers in favor of wrapping an arm around his shoulders. Keith blushed, but leaned into Shiro’s side regardless as they pulled away from the airport.

They rode in silence into the city. There were low murmurs of chatter from the other passengers on the bus.

“How was your flight?” Keith asked, finally breaking their silence.

“Not too bad. The weather was good and we didn’t hit much turbulence which was appreciated,” he said, glancing down at Keith. “How are things now that classes have ended for the semester and exams are over?”

“Good. It’s so much easier working without having to deal with classes and the stress that comes with that. Graduation is going to be a relief when I can just focus on having a job and nothing else.”

“Linda’s not working you too hard, I hope?” Shiro joked.

Keith smiled. “Nah, she’s been great. I’ve already gotten to pick up a few extra shifts to make up for the ones I’m passing on this week.”

Shiro bit his lip. “You know you don’t have to stop working just because I’m here…”

Keith shook his head. “I know that you wouldn’t hold it against me, but I want to spend time with you. It’s sort of my doing that you came all this way and I want us to spend some time together. I mean, how many times have you been to Chicago in your life?”

“This would be the first,” he said, chuckling.

“See? So I can’t leave you to wander around by yourself. Or leave you to stay locked in my apartment.”

Keith saw they were getting close to his stop and he pressed the call button. As they turned the corner onto his street, he nudged Shiro who picked up his duffle and moved to the front of the bus with him following closely behind.

“I’m just down here,” Keith said, stepping down the sidewalk. Before he could even take a handful of steps, Shiro was twining their fingers together again. The public displays of affection was definitely something he was going to have to get used to. Having an in-person boyfriend was a lot different than navigating a long-distance relationship.

Shiro followed dutifully behind him as they climbed the stairs to his floor. He was glad to be inside and out of the biting wind. For the most part he was used to the temperature changes when winter rolled around in Chicago, but the wind was a different matter entirely when it seemed like it could virtually break through anything he was wearing and force a chill deep into his bones.

Keith was forced to let go of Shiro’s hand so he could unlock the door to his apartment. He pushed it open and flicked the light on, standing to the side so Shiro could walk in with his things.

“I wasn’t sure what you wanted to do about sleeping so you have the choice of the bed or the couch unless there’s something else you’d prefer,” he said, staring at his feet as he shut the door behind Shiro. He watched as Shiro looked around the apartment, suddenly seeing so many more flaws then he had that morning after cleaning.

“Do you have a problem with sharing the bed?” Shiro asked.

The question got Keith’s gaze to snap to Shiro’s face. He was rubbing the back of his neck and blushing again. He cleared his throat.

“I didn’t know how comfortable you might be sharing the bed so I thought I’d just leave the option out there in case you preferred to sleep alone.”

Shiro smiled and stepped closer to him. “I flew all the way here to spend time with you. I’d have to be crazy if I didn’t want to take advantage of the situation and cuddle with you in bed,” he said, grinning lopsidedly.

Keith chuckled, he couldn’t help it really. “You’re such a dork, Shiro,” he said between huffs of laughter. The lingering tension and nervousness at bringing Shiro into his life quickly faded away. Now when he thought about it, there was really no need to be nervous anyway. They’d already opened themselves up to each other so many times and saw what cracks lingered in their hearts. The thought of being rejected after finally meeting in-person seemed ridiculous now that he thought about it.

“Does that mean I get to share a bed with you?” he asked, batting his eyelashes.

“Yes.” Keith stepped around him and turned to face Shiro so he could walk backwards. “My room’s back here. You can dump your bag in there and if you’re hungry we can have dinner and watch a movie or something.”

“Sounds great,” Shiro said. “What are you feeling?”

“Pizza?” Keith asked.

Shiro nodded. “Sounds good to me.”

“You can pull up Netflix on my computer and we can sit on the couch and watch it while we eat.”

“Sure, thing,” Shiro said, walking around him.

Keith left Shiro in his bedroom so he could pull the frozen pizza from his freezer and heat up the oven for it to cook.

Keith ripped open the box and pulled the plastic covered pizza out to set on the counter. He grabbed one of the few baking sheets he had and set it on top of the stove before fighting against the plastic covering on the pizza. He huffed when he couldn’t break it and pulled out a knife instead, slitting the plastic easily and pulling it off.

He left the pizza on the baking sheet and tossed the plastic into the trash can, glad when his oven beeped to signal it was the right temperature. He shoved the pizza inside and set the timer before turning back to the living room.

Shiro was seated on his couch with his laptop on his thighs. He walked over and leaned his arms on the back of the couch next to Shiro’s shoulders, watching as he scrolled through Netflix.

“Find anything good?” he asked.

Shiro hummed. “There are some movies that look pretty decent.”

Keith raised an eyebrow at the sly smile that pulled at Shiro’s lips.

“What’s that look for?” he asked.

Shiro turned to look at him. “I think I found the perfect movie for us to watch.”

Keith furrowed his brow and leaned over the couch to get a closer look, rolling his eyes when he saw Shiro had pulled up _Men in Black._

“Really?” he asked.

Shiro shrugged. “We both like space so why not?”

“Okay,” Keith said. “Not so much space as just aliens though.”

Shiro waved him off. “Details.”

He hit play and set the laptop on the coffee table. Rather than walk around the couch like a normal person, Keith climbed over the back and settled down heavily next to Shiro, earning him a chuckle.

Their movie was interrupted a few minutes later when the timer went off and Keith had to retrieve the pizza. He loaded a couple slices on to two different plates and passed them off to Shiro who was still sitting on the couch so he could grab drinks for them. When he got back, he settled into Shiro’s side and took his own plate of pizza, content to sit through their movie and enjoy some time together.


	18. Chapter 18

Keith sighed and blinked his eyes open. He was met with Shiro’s face, eyes closed and lips parted on gentle breaths. Keith smiled, eyes trailing down Shiro’s rumbled shirt and over the scarred arm that was resting over his waist. He remembered how nervous Shiro had been the night before about taking it off, but he’d done it and Keith had planted a soft kiss on the smooth stump at the end of his arm.

Shiro had held him close after that and it struck him just how worried he was over being rejected for something he couldn’t control. He wondered if someone else had rejected him over it.

Shiro shifted next to him and Keith looked back up at his face. His eyes were still closed, but Keith was sure he’d be waking up soon. He shifted closer and tilted his head up, planting a small kiss on his chin. Shiro’s brows furrowed and he blinked his eyes open looking down at Keith. His gaze immediately softened.

“Good morning,” Keith whispered.

“It is now,” he said, grin lazy.

Keith rolled his eyes and brought a hand up to Shiro’s cheek. “Stop.”

“Why would you want me to stop? What could be better than saying cheesy things in the morning?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe this,” Keith said, pulling Shiro down for a proper kiss. Shiro relaxed next to him and wrapped his forearm around his back to pull him closer, not that Keith was wanting to get any further away.

“Come on,” Keith said, pulling away. “We should get up and have breakfast.”

“Or we could just stay here,” Shiro said, burying his face in Keith’s neck.

Keith chuckled. “I thought you wanted to see Chicago? Don’t you want to do fun things?”

“I just want to be with you,” he mumbled.

Keith cleared his throat as he felt his face heat up. “Come on,” he said, patting his arm. “We should go see the city. Besides, you’re meeting Pidge and Hunk tomorrow so we should do something before they interrogate you like a cop on a bad 80s show.”

Shiro chuckled. “Okay, okay,” he said, pulling away. Keith pushed off the covers as Shiro rolled onto his back. He shivered at the loss of warmth, reaching for his hoodie that had been thrown over the back of his desk chair and slipped it over his head. He was glad he’d slept in socks because he knew his feet would be freezing on the floor if he didn’t have the layer of cotton between the bottom of his feet and the hardwood.

Shiro watched him from where he was still lying in bad and Keith stuck out his tongue at him, leaving the bedroom behind in favor of the kitchen.

He pulled the carton of eggs free from the fridge and a bowl down from the cabinet. He broke several eggs into the bowl and mixed them with a fork. When that was done he pulled out a pan and set it to heat up on the stove.

While he was in the middle of scrambling the eggs, warm arms wrapped around his waist. Keith smiled and leaned back in Shiro’s hold, soaking up his warmth.

“Put on some toast?” he murmured, dropping shredded cheese and pepper over the eggs.

Shiro pressed a kiss against the side of his head and moved away, undoing the twist on the loaf of bread and throwing a couple slices in the toaster. Keith turned off the stove and lifted the pan away. Shiro started looking through his cabinets and Keith was about to ask what he was doing when he found the plates and pulled two of them down.

“Thanks,” Keith said, dividing the eggs between the two of them. He left the pan on the stove to cool and pulled out a small tub of butter from the fridge for their toast. He was just reached for a knife when the toast popped up. He pulled the slices free. “There are glasses in the cabinet over there if you want to get some water or something,” he said, scraping the butter onto the bread.

Shiro nodded and filled a glass for each of them, walking over to the table behind Keith. Shiro sat next to him and Keith held out a fork for him which he took with a smile. They ate in relative silence until Keith felt something nudge his foot. He frowned and looked up at Shiro who was smiling at him. Keith shook his head and went back to eating.

Until he felt it again. Keith rolled his eyes and pressed his foot down on Shiro’s to keep him from moving it. He made some sort of protest in the back of his throat and tried to move his foot away, but Keith just pressed harder. Shiro huffed and sulked into his eggs. Keith took a bite of toast to hide his smile, eyes shining.

Before Keith had even swallowed his last bite of food, Shiro was pushing his chair back and taking the plates over to the sink.

“Wha-Shiro!” he exclaimed, scrambling after him.

“You cooked breakfast. The least I can do is the dishes,” he said with a smile, turning on the tap.

“But you’re my guest,” he protested.

Shiro leaned to the side and stole a kiss from his lips. “I’m your boyfriend,” he said with a grin. “Let me do this. Go take a shower or something and we can leave and explore the city when you’re done.”

Keith blinked at him. He smiled and started scrubbing at the dishes. He slowly turned and walked back through his apartment towards the bathroom, letting out a sigh when he was safely locked behind the door. He was way in over his head with Shiro, but he couldn’t really find it in himself to care. Instead he reached for the shower and turned on the water.

He shivered when he shut off the water after showering and the steam and warmth dissipated, the cool air sucking it away. He toweled dry and got dressed quickly, running a hand through his damp hair. He padded out of the bathroom and back to his bedroom, finding Shiro sitting on the edge of his bed and stuffing his feet into a pair of socks.

“You look all ready to go,” he commented, reaching for his jacket.

“And you look like your head’s going to freeze as soon as you step outside.”

Keith rolled his eyes and slipped his arms through the sleeves of his jacket. “I’ll be fine. I’m sure it won’t be too bad.”

Shiro hummed. He threw on a jacket and scarf before walking over to him with a smile on his face.

“What?” he asked when Shiro got closer.

“Oh nothing, just this,” he said, shoving something down on Keith’s head.

“Shiro!” Keith cried. Shiro stepped back and smiled at him. Keith raised a hand to his head and ran his fingers over the knitted beanie Shiro had been wearing the day before. “Your hat?”

“Might as well stay warm, right?”

“But what about you?”

“I’ll be fine.”

Keith smiled and moved forward, rocking up onto his toes to kiss Shiro on the cheek. “Come on. Might was well get out before too many other people.”

“Sure.”

Keith stuffed his feet into his boots and pulled his jacket tighter around him before slipping his hands into his gloves. He pulled Shiro towards the door and left his apartment behind. Shiro tangled their fingers together and followed Keith onto the sidewalk. Cool air whipped around them and they both let out a small gasp.

“I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to that,” Shiro said with a chuckle.

“I live here and I hardly get used to it,” Keith said, bumping their shoulders.

“Well, my dear tour guide, where to?” Shiro asked.

Keith shook his head and pulled Shiro down the sidewalk heading further downtown. There were a few other groups on the sidewalks, but the street was filled with cars. Shiro craned his neck to look at the buildings towering over them. Keith smiled and kept pulling him along, making sure he didn’t bump into anyone or walk off the sidewalk into traffic.

Shiro stopped at a street vendor and bought them both cups of hot chocolate. Keith wrapped his arms around the warm cup and inhaled the sweet smell of chocolate.

“You didn’t have to do that,” he said, taking a careful sip.

“Am I not allowed to do nice things for my boyfriend now?” he scoffed. “You’re giving me this wonderful tour of the city, I thought I should pay you back with a warm drink. And possibly bribe you…”

“Bribe me into what?” Keith laughed.

“Ice skating?” he asked, pointing down the street.

Keith followed his gaze and saw they had made it to Millennium Park. He frowned and shifted on his feet.

“I’ve, uh…never been ice skating,” he said, staring down at his drink.

Shiro’s hand came to rest on his elbow and he looked up at him through his eyelashes. “Let me teach you?” he asked.

Keith bit his lip, looking between Shiro and the rink where several couples were already making circles around the ice.

“I’ll even pay for the skate rentals,” he offered.

Keith sighed. “Okay.”

He really wanted to regret his decision to agree, but when Shiro’s face lit up like a Christmas tree, he really couldn’t find it in himself to care if he fell flat on his ass in front of half the city.

“Just…” he started and saw Shiro’s smile dim a little. “Just let me finish my drink first,” he added.

“Sure Keith,” he agreed, still pulling him in the direction of the frozen ice plane that would be Keith’s demise. The smell of roasting nuts greeted them as they got closer and Keith spotted a row of food stalls that had been set up around the rink for anyone who was hungry. Shiro found a bench for them and they sat, Keith shivering a bit at the cold wood of the bench seat. He cradled his cup between his two hands, trying to draw out the lingering warmth that was quickly disappearing and leaned into Shiro.

Shiro wrapped his arm around Keith’s shoulders. Keith’s need to stay warm outweighed his aversion to ice skating and taking as long as possible and he finished his drink quickly.

“Ready?” Shiro asked.

He let out a sigh. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

“Come on,” Shiro said, tugging him to his feet. “I promise it’s going to be fun.”

Keith pursed his lips. “You and I probably have very different definitions of fun, Shiro.”

“Not so different. We met playing the same online videogame after all.”

Keith huffed a laugh. “True.” He elbowed Shiro.

“Ow. What?” he asked.

“Which we haven’t played in a long time.”

“Later?” he asked.

Keith nodded and Shiro turned his attention to the skate rental clerk.

“Two pairs of rental skates,” he said.

The clerk nodded and pulled the correct skates from the shelves. “Take off your shoes over there and bring them back so we can re-shelve those. That’ll be $24.”

Shiro nodded and pulled out his wallet, handing over a few bills. He turned and directed Keith to the benches and sat down next to him eagerly. He pulled off his shoes and slipped his feet into the skates, tying them expertly. Keith was slower. The boots felt strange on his feet. He peeked over at Shiro to see how he was tying the laces and he started on them slowly, fumbling with the strings.

“Need help?”

Keith looked up at Shiro and nodded. “Honestly? Yeah.”

“It’s fine. The only reason I know what I’m doing is because I’ve gone before,” he said, kneeling in front of Keith.

Keith blushed as Shiro went about tying the laces. He felt like a little kid. When Shiro was finished, he experimentally lifted his feet to test the weight of the skates.

“Ready?” Shiro asked, getting to his feet with ease despite how unsteady Keith thought standing on two literal blades would be.

“I guess,” he said, curling his fingers tighter around the edge of the bench.

“Here,” he looked up and saw Shiro’s hand outstretched for him. “We’ll take it slow, okay?”

Keith nodded and grasped his hand. He planted his skates as securely as he could and was pulled to his feet. He wobbled a bit at first, getting used to standing and Shiro’s hands went to his waist to keep him steady.

“Have you ever been roller skating?”

“What?” Keith asked, looking up from the foam padding on the ground.

“Roller skating. Have you ever been?”

Keith furrowed his brow, wondering what the question had to do with anything. “I think I’ve been like once.”

Shiro smiled. “Okay, well this is kind of like that if you can remember how to do it. It’s just on ice instead of wheels.”

“I remember I went home with a ton of bruises,” Keith said, making Shiro smile sheepishly.

“Okay, maybe not the best example,” he hedged.

Keith chuckled. “You think?” He felt more relaxed now, the conversation having helped distract him.

“Ready?” Shiro asked. He nodded. “Okay,” he said, moving to Keith’s side and keeping hold of his hand. “Take it one step at a time. Really easy, there’s no rush.”

Keith nodded and stepped forward. The boots felt heavy and he wobbled a bit, but got used to walking in them. Getting on the ice was going to be a different story entirely. Shiro stepped out first and turned to face him, holding out both his hands. Keith bit his lip and let out a sigh, taking Shiro’s hands in his and gripping tightly.

Shiro gave him a reassuring smile and he placed one skate on the ice. He hesitated.

“It’ll be okay, Keith,” Shiro said. “You can do it.”

He let out a breath and put his other foot on the ice. Shiro’s grip helped to steady him. He grinned and Shiro smiled back, breathing a foggy laugh into the cold air.

“Think you can take a step forward?” Shiro asked.

Keith lifted his skate and tried using it to push off, but he wasn’t getting anywhere.

Shiro hummed. “Let’s try something else. Turn and place a hand on the wall. I’m going to stay right next to you.”

Keith felt nervousness bubble up when one of his hands was let go. He felt more and more unsteady without Shiro’s presence, but he put his hand on the wall, holding tightly to keep himself comfortable.

“Let’s try that again,” Shiro said with a smile.

Keith watched him move forward and did his best to match his movements. It took a couple of tries before he made any movement. His progress was slow and more people whizzed past them, but they didn’t matter. He was reluctant to move forward, but Shiro tugged him along. He finally got into a rhythm and was making steady progress despite staying close to the wall.

“You’re doing great, Keith!” Shiro encouraged.

“Thanks,” he mumbled, feeling a blush rise to his cheeks.

“You think you’re ready to let go of the wall?”

“Uhh…”

“Come on,” Shiro said, swinging in front of him and holding out his other hand.

“I thought that didn’t work before?” Keith mused with a smirk.

“I think we’ll be alright to try again,” he said with a shrug.

Keith forced his fingers to relax their grip on the wall and he took hold of Shiro’s other hand. Shiro grinned and started skating backwards. Keith did his best to keep with Shiro’s timing, but found he was off, his movements more jerky and less coordinated than Shiro’s were. He furrowed his brow, trying to concentrate when he felt the tip of his skate catch on the ice.

His eyes widened as he tipped forward, ramming into Shiro who wrapped his arms around him as they hurtled towards the ice. Keith squeezed his eyes shut and felt Shiro slam into the ice before he slammed into Shiro.

“Sorry,” Keith mumbled and looked up at Shiro. “You okay?”

Shiro blinked his eyes open and looked down at him, grin pulling at his lips before he started laughing.

“What?” Keith asked, trying not to laugh, but he couldn’t stop the chuckles that bubbled up from his chest.

“All part of the experience to fall at least once,” he said. “You ready to try again?”

Keith smiled and rolled off Shiro, carefully getting back to his feet. Shiro held out his hand when he was back on his feet. Keith grabbed it and tugged Shiro closer, fingers going up to his hair so he could tug him down for a kiss.

Shiro smiled when they parted and snickered.

“What?” Keith huffed.

“Your hat got messed up,” he said, hands going to the beanie on his head and straightening it. Shiro’s gloves were soft against his skin and he missed their warmth when they dropped away. He twined their fingers together. Now that he’d fallen once, it didn’t seem so bad. It probably helped that he landed on Shiro.

Keith pushed off, a little wobbly, but he maintained his balance as Shiro skated beside him. For the first time he recognized the music that was playing: the Christmas carols mixed with Top40 hits.

“I don’t want a lot for Christmas…” Shiro started as the song changed.

Keith groaned and buried his face in his hand. And promptly took them away for risk of falling and landing on his ass this time.

“There is just one thing I need,” he continued.

“Shiro…”

“Come on,” Shiro said, skating in front of him. “I don’t care about the presents. Sing with me.”

Keith bit his lip. “Underneath the Christmas tree.”

Shiro grinned and pulled him along, continuing to sing despite the amused looks they were getting. But Keith really couldn’t find it in himself to mind.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally calling into action one of the tags I know y'all have been waiting for. 
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> <3 MOLIM

Keith frowned and clicked several times, trying to get his aim centered on the alien in front of him. “Come on, come on, come on,” he muttered.

Shiro chuckled next to him and nudged his shoulder before Keith was left to watch Shiro’s character kill the alien they were fighting.

“Hey,” he grumbled and pouted at Shiro who was sitting next to him with his laptop on his crossed legs.

“Don’t pout,” he said, leaning closer. “We’re a team, aren’t we?”

“You took my shot,” he said.

Shiro smiled and leaned closer. “Come on, Keith. Don’t be that way, baby.”

Keith felt his face heat up at the pet name and shifted in place. Shiro nuzzled into his neck and placed a kiss there making Keith swallow. He moved his character around on the screen to collect a few coins now that the boss was dead to dry and distract himself from where Shiro’s lips were pressed under his chin.

He tried to ignore it, he really did, but his head tilted to the side and his eyes slid shut at the ministrations. He sighed and turned to meet Shiro’s lips for the next kiss. Keith kept one hand firmly on his laptop to keep it from falling to the side and wrapped his other hand around the back of Shiro’s neck, fingers scratching through Shiro’s undercut.

The sound of an alarm broke them out of their kiss and set Keith’s heart pounding in his chest.

“Fuck,” he whispered and chuckled. “That scared the shit out of me.”

“You and me both,” Shiro said and Keith noticed where Shiro’s grip was a little too tight in his shirt.

Keith sucked in a breath and reached for his phone to shut off the alarm he’d set. “Moment ruiner,” he accused.

Shiro chuckled, slowly relaxing. “Come on, I want to meet your friends and I thought you wanted me to meet them.”

Keith pouted. “I do want you to meet them, but I was kind of enjoying myself.”

“Oh?” Shiro asked, leaning closer.

Keith swallowed, mouth dry. “Y-yeah…”

“Well,” Shiro said, dragging his lips along his cheek. “We’ll just have to pick up where we left off later. Sound good?”

Keith swallowed again and looked into Shiro’s sparkling eyes. “Yeah,” he said, a little too breathlessly. “Sounds like a great idea.”

Shiro smiled and shut his computer with a snap, setting it on the empty coffee table. He pushed himself to his feet and held out a hand to Keith. He shut his own computer and left it next to Shiro’s, letting himself get pulled to his feet. Shiro pulled him close and claimed one last kiss before pulling away with a grin.

“Come on,” he said, squeezing Keith’s hip. “I want to meet your friends.”

“You say that now,” Keith said, slipping on his jacket. “You haven’t met them yet and you haven’t been interrogated.”

“I’m sure it won’t be so bad,” Shiro said, wrapping a scarf around his neck and slipping his beanie on Keith’s head.

Keith raised an eyebrow.

“I just don’t want you getting cold,” he mumbled.

Keith pulled the edges of the beanie down over his ears. “Okay,” he said, trying to fight down the red flush to his cheeks. “We should get going. Pidge and Hunk are probably already at the bar pre-gaming.”

“Lead the way,” Shiro said, taking his hand.

Keith grabbed his wallet and keys, patting his back pocket to make sure his phone was still there and locked his apartment behind them. He tugged Shiro towards the stairs and ducked his head when they pushed through the front doors to the building. A cold wind whipped over them and Keith was glad they were walking in the opposite direction so the wind was hitting their backs.

The bar they were headed to was tucked back in a set of buildings. It was a little run down and would be seen as sketchy by anyone who wasn’t familiar with it, but had a great reputation among college students and some of the locals. Keith ducked down the alley that led to the main door and knew Shiro was questioning his choices by how his steps slowed.

“Come on,” he said, nodding towards the end of the alley. “The door’s just down there.”

“This isn’t the part where you turn out to be a mass-murdering psycho is it?” he asked.

Keith chuckled, his breath fogging in the air. “Nah. Plus if I was a mass-murdering psycho I would’ve already had plenty of opportunities to kill you. Come on. Trust me, it’s fine.”

With a few more tugs, he got Shiro to the end of the alley and pushed through the battered door that boasted a crooked and cracked ‘Open’ sign.

Warm air and cheerful conversation greeted them. Keith looked around and found all the booths taken. There were several people standing around the upright tables and a few groups playing pool.

He hummed. “Slow night.”

“This is slow?” Shiro asked.

Keith nodded. “Yeah, but it’s still early. I’m sure more people will come in later if the weather isn’t keeping them at bay. It’s not a music night so there’s going to be less of a crowd.”

A waving hand caught his attention and he spotted Pidge and Hunk in the last booth in the corner. Keith grinned and pulled Shiro over to them. Pidge scrambled out of the booth to meet them and pulled Keith into a hug.

“Hey Pidge,” he said. He stepped back and gestured to Shiro. “Guys, this is Shiro. Shiro this is Pidge and Hunk.”

“Nice to meet you,” Shiro said, raising a hand in greeting.

“Finally, the boyfriend,” Hunk said with a grin.

Keith rolled his eyes and pulled Shiro down into the opposite side of the booth from his friends. “Don’t go scaring him off,” he chastised. “I see you two have already gotten started.” He nodded towards the pitcher on the table.

Pidge filled the two remaining empty glasses on the table and pushed one to Keith and Shiro. “Only because you took so long to get here.”

Keith grinned and took a sip of the beer, sighing happily.

“So Shiro…” Pidge stared.

“Let me guess, this is where the interrogation starts,” he said amicably.

“So Keith warned you.” She nodded knowingly.

Shiro shrugged. “Yes and no. My friends would do the same thing. You’re looking out for him. I can respect that.”

Pidge hummed.

“How are you liking Chicago?” Hunk broke in.

“It’s cold.”

The three of them snickered.

“But it’s nice so far. Keith’s shown me around the city some. We went ice skating.”

Pidge spluttered into her drink. “You convinced Keith to go ice skating?!”

Keith felt himself flush and hid behind his beer.

“He convinced you to go ice skating?” Pidge asked turning her attention to Keith. “What did he have to bribe you with? A blowjob?”

Keith’s flush deepened. “No!” he protested. He saw Shiro sag against the back of the booth with a hand over his mouth, cheeks as red as Keith’s probably were.

“Oh is that why you were late?” Hunk asked.

“Hunk!” he squeaked.

The two of them laughed and downed what was left in their glasses, Hunk refilling them from the pitcher.

“We were playing video games. And you can’t blame us for being late when you were early,” Keith scoffed.

“Video games,” Pidge murmured. “Basically the way the two of you met. Shiro you obviously saw something you liked in Keith’s brash online personality.”

Keith grumbled something into his beer and sagged in his seat. “You know with the way you two talk, you’d think I’m a terrible person who’s impossible to get along with.”

“Not impossible, but it takes a special kind of person for you to be friends with,” Pidge muttered.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means,” Hunk said, smiling. “That you’re particular about the people you get close to. You don’t want someone who’s going to give you a bunch of B.S. You like genuine people.”

Shiro’s knee pressed up against his and Keith glanced down before looking at Shiro’s smile out of the corner of his eye.

He sighed. “I guess.”

“So, Shiro,” Pidge continued. “What did you find so enthralling about Keith.”

“His sense of humor,” he answered easily. “And how invested he got in the video game. He’s dedicated to what he does.”

Pidge groaned while Hunk aww’ed.

“I don’t know what I worried about. You two are going to be that disgusting couple the rest of us get annoyed by but are secretly relationship goals,” Pidge grumbled.

Keith’s mouth dropped open. He blinked, trying to come up with some sort of reply to that. Shiro snickered next to him, bowing his head before laughter racked his body. They all turned to stare at him.

“Sorry, sorry,” he apologized. “I shouldn’t laugh, but you guys are hilarious.”

“Just wait until you’re privy to one of our movie nights,” Hunk said, eyes sparkling.

“Oh?” Shiro prodded.

“Alcohol and pizza and whatever movie we’re feeling that night. Things can either go really great or horribly wrong depending on how much alcohol is consumed and what movie we’re watching.”

“Yeah,” Keith agreed. “Pidge has been known to go on for hours about the science or theories that are used in some films. Usually when that happens we’ve just gotta let her work it out of her system. Don’t ever try to get in the middle of a Pidge rant because it won’t end well. She’ll just talk over you or make some weird tie-in about aliens or something.”

“Please,” Pidge said. “I don’t make a tie-in with aliens. That’s your thing. I’m more concerned with the science! It has to be logical and if it’s not making sense there’s no point,” she scoffed.

Keith opened his mouth to argue and sighed. “Yeah, you’re right, but come on. I mean, aliens. Who doesn’t think aliens are pretty cool?”

“A majority of the population?” Shiro offered.

Keith pouted at him and downed the rest of his beer. “I feel so betrayed. I can’t believe you Shiro. You would throw your own boyfriend under the bus.” He shook his head and looked across the table at his friends. “Aren’t you guys going to do anything about this?” he asked, gesturing to Shiro. “It’s a crime.”

“You only think it’s a crime,” Pidge scoffed, snatching the pitcher before Keith could make a grab for it and pouring the rest of it in her glass. “And because we’re all so done with your shit, you get to buy the next round,” she said, shoving the empty pitcher back at him.

“Fine,” he grumbled, pushing himself out of the booth and leaving Shiro behind with his friends.

“That was totally an excuse just to get me alone with you guys wasn’t it?” Shiro asked, watching Keith walk away towards the bar.

“Yup,” Pidge agreed.

“Completely,” Hunk said.

“Worked out better than trying to corner you in the bathroom,” Pidge said, taking a sip from her glass.

“I suppose I’m going to get the shovel talk now,” Shiro murmured, keeping his eyes on Keith who looked over his shoulder and gave Shiro a smile.

“You know…” Hunk began. “We were going to, but considering you’re staring across the bar at your boyfriend…”

“It doesn’t really seem necessary anymore,” Pidge finished.

Shiro managed to pull his gaze away from Keith and look at the two people in front of him who were both smirking him and watching him with interested expressions.

“Keith’s experience with romantic partners is incredibly limited,” Pidge supplied. Hell, his experience with positive relationships romantic or platonic is incredibly limited.”

“We just want to make sure this is good for him and we already know it has been, but…” Hunk added.

“We want you to take care of him,” Pidge interrupted. “Not in a financial sugar daddy kind of way, but just support him and give him what he needs.”

Shiro smiled. “I don’t think that’ll be a problem. I know about his financial situation. We’ve shared our anxieties with each other. Hell, it was after his last financial meeting of the semester when we finally broached the topic of meeting and I offered to come up here. I want him to be happy.” Keith caught his eye when he turned away from the bar with a full pitcher.

“Well, I have no objections,” Hunk said. “Do you?”

“None at all,” Pidge said, taking a drink from her glass to hide her smirk. “None. At. All.”

“What did I miss?” Keith asked, setting down the pitcher and sliding back into the booth next to Shiro.

“Not much,” Shiro said, reaching for his hand under the table.

~~

The cold air helped to sober them as they stepped out of the bar, but Keith’s cheeks were still flushed from the drinks. Shiro’s hand was slung low around his waist and Keith had no qualms leaning into his presence.

“Well that was a fun evening,” Shiro murmured, leaning down to press a kiss to the side of Keith’s hair where it poked out from underneath the beanie. Keith smiled up at him and slipped his hand into Shiro’s back pocket.

“I’m glad you came,” Keith said. “And that you got along so well. It means a lot.”

“It’s all worth it. You’re with it.”

Keith looked up at him, their gazes boring into each other. Shiro leaned down for a proper kiss and Keith wrapped his arms around his shoulders. His lips were soft and still tasted faintly of beer which intensified when he opened his mouth and their tongues brushed against each other.

Keith pulled back and stared up at Shiro who bit his lip and Keith swallowed, tugging him down the sidewalk. He was thinking about how much he enjoyed living so close to the bar when they turned the corner to his building. Shiro kept him close as he pulled his keys from his pocket and fumbled them into the lock, pushing the door open and pulling Shiro in after him.

He hurried up the stairs and pushed into his apartment, pressing Shiro up against the door as it slammed shut and wrapping his arms around him again. Shiro pulled him close, pressing their bodies together, his palms blazing a trail of heat across his skin even though one of them was a prosthetic. Keith sighed into their kiss and pulled back.

“Is there a reason you’re stopping?” Shiro asked, looking down at him.

“Come on,” Keith said, stepping back and missing the press of their bodies together. He kicked off his shoes and pulled off his jacket as he walked backwards before turning and heading towards his bedroom. He heard Shiro follow after him and hummed when he wrapped his arms around him from behind.

Shiro pressed a kiss to the side of his head once, twice, and a third time before dipping his head to kiss Keith’s neck. Keith tilted his head to the side, reveling in the feel of Shiro’s lips running over the side of his neck. He leaned back into him, eyes sliding shut as the corners of his mouth ticked up. He ran his hands over Shiro’s arms around him, feeling heat spread underneath his skin.

“I want to kiss you,” Shiro murmured against his skin.

“I thought that’s what you’re doing.”

Shiro huffed a laugh into his skin and turned him in his arms, bringing their lips together again. He smiled into the kiss when he was walked backwards to the bed. He pulled Shiro down with him and let himself be pulled back into the circle of Shiro’s arms as they laid on their sides. Shiro’s hand rested on his hip, fingers slipping underneath the hem of his shirt.

Keith pushed himself closer, sighing as their lips pressed together again. Shiro’s grip on his hip tightened and he shifted, feeling himself responding not so subtly to the possessive touch. He groaned into the kiss and Shiro’s grip tightened further. Shiro broke their kiss and pressed his lips underneath Keith’s jaw, kissing along the underside of it. He shifted forward, leg pressing between Keith’s.

“Fuck,” he hissed, hips stuttering against Shiro’s thigh.

“Keith,” Shiro groaned into his neck in response. “God, Keith.”

Keith’s breath left him in a rush at how low and wrecked Shiro’s voice already sounded. “Shiro, please…”

Shiro sucked on his neck, making him squirm, cock barely brushing against the thigh between his legs. Throwing caution to the wind about how they hadn’t talked about this yet, he pressed harder against Shiro’s thigh, searching for sweet friction, making his cock harden further in his jeans. Shiro’s hands moved lower, gripping his ass and pulling his hips higher so their crotches rubbed together. He clutched at Shiro’s shoulders when their clothed erections rubbed together.

“Shit,” he said. “Do that again.”

Shiro obliged and Keith bit his lips at the throb that pulsed through him. He pulled Shiro’s lips away from his neck, chasing kisses that first tasted like beer and delved into something deeper, something utterly Shiro. He took what he needed as they moved together on his bed and what Shiro seemed all too willing to give. Each throb and pulse through his cock brought him closer to the edge and he knew the same was happening for Shiro as his breaths shortened and he clutched at him tighter, making their rocking become more frantic as the sheets bunched underneath them.

“Keith…” Shiro said, pulling away from his lips and pressing their foreheads together. He gazed into his eyes and Keith’s eyelids fluttered shut on a particularly delightful press that had his toes curling against the covers. Heat pooled in his belly and he could feel the muscles in his stomach starting to tighten as each pulse moved through him harder than the last.

“I’m getting close,” he said.

“Me too,” Shiro agreed, tugging at him, at his hips, searching for as much contact as possible. His breath stuttered on the way out and Keith had a fleeting thought of what it would feel like if they’d managed to get their jeans off before getting this far. The thought alone coupled with the next slide of their erections against each other had him closer to falling over the edge.

Keith arched backwards, pressing closer to Shiro and searching for more contact through the fabric of their shirts. Shiro shuddered against him, hips stuttering on the next thrust and he was coming, squeezing Keith impossibly tighter. Keith continued to move against him, working Shiro through his own orgasm and chasing his own until he spilled in his boxers and rode the waves of pleasure that surged through his veins with a gasp and groan.

They gasped shared breaths, taking sloppy and slow kisses as they came down from their high. When Keith managed to open his eyes he found Shiro watching him and he huffed a laugh. Leaning in for a more coordinated kiss before pulling himself from bed to get cleaned up and in something more comfortable.


	20. Chapter 20

Keith burrowed further into the warmth surrounding him and sighed happily. He blinked his eyes open and found his face pressed against Shiro’s chest. He thought about the night before and how things had just happened between them and bit his lip. He wasn’t embarrassed. It was hard to be embarrassed with Shiro when they’d already been so emotionally intimate with each other. He was more surprised that it had actually happened more than anything else.

He trailed the side of his finger across the small span of fabric below his hand, watching it shift the shirt just barely. Shiro sucked in a breath and Keith’s eyes flicked up to his face, watching him let out a breath before opening his eyes. His gaze immediately met Keith’s and he smiled, ducking his head for a morning kiss.

Keith tried kissing him back, he really did, but his grin was making it hard to kiss properly. He broke away with a chuckle. Shiro grinned at him and rolled him onto his back, pressing him into the mattress and aiming for a proper kiss this time. Keith’s hands went to Shiro’s hair as their lips moved together. Keith brushed the strands that fell into Shiro’s face back before trailing his hands down Shiro’s chest so he could wrap his arms around his back.

“We should talk about last night,” Shiro said against his lips.

“Oh?” Keith asked only halfway paying attention.

“Yeah…” Shiro said, moving his lips down to Keith’s neck. “Were you okay with it?”

“I was more than a little okay with it,” he said, voice breathless. “It was amazing.”

“Yeah, but-“

Keith hooked his leg around Shiro’s back and rolled them so he was sitting on Shiro’s stomach. A hand immediately went to his hip and Keith planted his hands on the mattress next to Shiro’s shoulders, leaning forward so they were looking in each other’s eyes.

“Were you okay with it?” he asked.

“I thought it was great,” Shiro clarified, rubbing his thumb against Keith’s hipbone. “I just want to know what you’re okay with. Like, is that as far as you want to go right now or did you feel like we were moving too fast?”

Keith smiled because this man… “Shiro we’ve been talking with each other for months and have been together for a little while already. I don’t think last night was us moving too fast, but we don’t have to go any farther yet. I’m more than content just spending time with you or watching a movie. If you’re not okay with doing anything else that’s fine with me.”

“No, Keith, that’s not-“ Keith cut off his protest with a kiss.

“Not wanting to jump headfirst into everything doesn’t make me think any less of you, Shiro. Everyone has boundaries and everyone should respect people’s boundaries.”

“I just don’t want to fuck this up,” he mumbled.

Keith smiled and brushed his thumb against Shiro’s cheek. “Hitting the brakes once and a while isn’t going to fuck things up, Shiro, but ignoring boundaries and doing things you’re not comfortable with will.”

“Thanks,” Shiro said, gaze soft.

Keith rocked forward and brought their lips together before he crawled off Shiro and tucked himself against his side.

“Anything you want to do today?” he asked. “You’ve already seen the city. Well, some of it anyway. I don’t know if shopping is your thing or whatever.”

“Wherever you are is where I want to be,” Shiro mumbled, making Keith groan.

“Don’t go saying cheesy stuff like that.”

Shiro pressed a kiss against his hair. “But seriously, whatever you want to do is fine with me.”

“Don’t make me pick. I’d always elect to stay inside and watch movies or stupid shows than having to go outside.”

“That really doesn’t sound so bad.”

Keith raised an eyebrow and looked up at him. “Really?”

He shrugged. “It’s what most of our dates have been so far. The only difference is that this time we get to cuddle.”

Keith patted him on the chest and sat up. “Then come help me make breakfast. We can camp out on the couch.”

“I’ll meet you out there, just as soon as I can give you more than just one hand,” he said, waving his arm in the air.

Keith smiled, giving Shiro one last kiss before pulling himself from the warmth of his bed. He grabbed the hoodie that was thrown over the back of his desk chair and pulled it over his head, navigating his way down the hall blindly until he freed himself.

He looked through his cabinets, wondering what he could make that was more impressive than eggs and toast when he spotted the small packages of flour and sugar tucked away in his cabinet. He didn’t use the stuff often and usually avoided buying too much of it, but it would be perfect for pancakes.

He hurried into the living room to retrieve his computer and searched for a pancake recipe until he found one that was simple to make and he had all the ingredients for it. (Whoever was making really expensive gourmet pancakes obviously had too much time and money on their hands.)

He pulled the biggest bowl he had from the cabinet and started measuring out his ingredients.

“What are we having?” Shiro asked, wrapping his arms around him from behind as he leaned over to squint at his computer screen.

“Pancakes,” he mumbled, reaching for the sugar and the correct measuring cup.

“Yum,” Shiro said, moving over to the fridge to pull out the milk and eggs. “One of my favorite breakfast foods.”

“I hope you’re good at making them, then. Because I don’t think I’ve flipped a single pancake in my entire life.” He held the spoon still while Shiro poured the milk into the dry ingredients. He mixed them together slowly, making sure not to accidently fling flour everywhere. He didn’t want to deal with the mess and didn’t want to waste the flour.

Shiro pulled out a frying pan to heat up while Keith finished mixing everything in the bowl. He grinned and twirled a spatula between his fingers. “Ready?”

“I think the real question,” Keith said, carefully pouring some of the batter into the pan, “is if you’re ready.”

“I’m always ready,” Shiro said, watching the pancake and waiting for bubbles to form on the top of the batter. “But you’re going to learn how to flip a pancake.”

Keith huffed and set the bowl on the counter as Shiro carefully slid the spatula underneath the bottom of the pancake. He crossed his arms and leaned against the counter while Shiro lifted the pancake and flipped it over, presenting a perfectly golden-brown side.

“See?” he asked with a grin. “Easy.”

Keith rolled his eyes and pulled down a plate from the cabinet next to him. “You haven’t seen me try yet.”

Shiro stuck out his tongue at him. “You’ll do fine.”

He transferred the pancake to the plate Keith held out for him and took the plate only to shove the spatula in Keith’s empty hand.

“Go ahead.”

Keith plopped another circle of batter onto the pan and listened as it hissed. “How do I know when it’s ready to flip?”

“Just wait until bubbles start to form on the top of the pancake.”

Keith tapped his finger against the edge of the spatula as he waited.

“Why are you so nervous?” Shiro asked with a chuckle. “It’s just a pancake.”

“It’s not just a pancake,” he scoffed.

“Look it’s ready to flip,” Shiro said, nodding to the pan.

Keith followed his gaze and sucked in a slow breath when he saw the bubbles on top.

“Now just slide the spatula underneath the side and flip it over.”

Keith tried to imitate what he’d seen Shiro do earlier, but when he flipped the pancake it skidded across the bottom of the pan and left a small streak of batter.

“Shit,” he muttered.

“You did it,” Shiro said, wrapping his arms around his waist and propped his chin on his shoulder.

“What are you talking about, it slid,” Keith objected.

“Yeah,” Shiro said with a shrug. “Happens all the time.”

“Really?”

“Of course. I probably do that with like half my pancakes.”

Keith raised an eyebrow and tried to look at Shiro who was grinning.

“Check the underside and see if it’s done.”

Keith huffed but lifted the edge, miraculously finding the same golden-brown on the other side. He set his pancake on top of Shiro’s.

“Your turn,” he said, pulling out of Shiro’s grip.

He hummed and picked up the bowl. He tapped a finger against his chin before carefully pouring the batter in a shape that definitely wasn’t a circle.

“What are you doing now?” Keith asked.

Shiro grinned. “Making shapes.”

“That looks like the Mickey Mouse ears more than anything,” Keith commented, tilting his head to the side.

“That’s because that’s what it’s supposed to be.”

Keith rolled his eyes and Shiro snatched the spatula from his hand as they waited. He laughed when Shiro flipped his pancake and gave him a huge smile.

When it was his turn, Keith tried to replicate what Shiro had done, but ended up with more of a shapeless blob than anything else. Keith had pouted, making Shiro laugh. The pancakes got more and more ridiculous until they were out of batter and had a small mountain of pancakes.

“Cheers,” Shiro said holding up a pancake. Keith rolled his eyes and picked up his own and tapping it against Shiro’s before taking a bite. He brightened at the taste and picked up the plate before moving into the living room. Shiro followed him with his computer and set it next to the plate of pancakes, leaving Keith to pull up Netflix. After starting their show he sat down next to Shiro and threw his legs over his lap.

Shiro’s hand automatically went to his leg and rested there while they ate their pancakes.

~~

Keith blinked his eyes open and found himself tucked into Shiro’s side. They were still on the couch and Shiro’s head was tilted back, his eyes shut. Keith rubbed at his eye and looked at where his laptop was still opened on the table and the empty plate from their breakfast was next to it.

He stretched his arm over his head and arched his back, feeling his spine pop in several places. Shiro shifted under him and groaned.

“You awake?” Keith asked, sagging back agasint him.

“I am now. What were you doing?” he asked, rolling his head to the side so he could look at him.

Keith shrugged. “Stretching.”

“Are you some kind of cat or something?”

Keith stuck his tongue out at Shiro who grinned and ran his hand that was still wrapped around his waist up his back, flattening his palm against his spine.

“I think it’s effective to say we slept through the rest of what we were watching.”

“Yeah, but it was a good nap,” Shiro said.

“At this rate, you’re going to end up sleeping away all the time we have together,” Keith argued, bracing his elbow against Shiro’s shoulder so he could lean his head against his hand.

“Doesn’t sound so bad to me. I could think of worse things than to have you wrapped up in my arms,” he said with a grin.

Keith rolled his eyes. “Don’t blame me if you get back home and can’t sleep because you’re alone.”

The comment actually prickled something in the back of his own mind as much as he said it to rag on Shiro. So much had already changed and evolved in their relationship in a handful of days and he knew it was going to be that much harder to part once their limited amount of time was over.

“I guess I’ll just have to call you up then and talk to you until I fall asleep,” he shot back.

“Uh, no,” Keith argued, crossing his arms. “I’m not about to sacrifice my own sleep and level of sanity just so you can get to sleep.”

Shiro smiled and wrapped his arms around him, pulling him closer. Keith huffed and rolled his eyes at his soft expression even as it make him want to squirm from happiness. He snaked his arms around Shiro’s shoulders and dipped his head, meeting Shiro’s lips.

Shiro’s grip tightened on him and he sighed, tilting his head back to deepen the kiss. Keith’s fingers, scratched up through his undercut and tangled in the longer strands.

“Now that,” Shiro said when they broke away, “is definitely going to be something I’m going to miss when I’m back home. Damn.”

Keith chuckled. “You know I never thought I’d be one for physical affection, but I think it’s going to be something I miss, too.”

“I guess I’ll just have to visit again sometime,” Shiro said, rubbing his fingers into Keith’s back.

“Or…” Keith suggested. “I could come visit you?”

“You’d really want to?” he asked. “Would you be able to work it into your budget?”

He nodded. “I think so. As long as I start planning now and have everything for the semester under control I could fly down during spring break. It’ll help not having to pay rooming expenses since I’m assuming I’ll get to stay with you.”

“Of course. I’m not going to give up prime cuddling time and there’s no reason you need to stay at a hotel when I’ve got plenty of space.”

Keith hummed. “I guess it’s settled then. I’ll get to see you in a few months.”

“Great,” Shiro said, tilting his chin up for another kiss Keith easily gave.

“Feel like putting a different movie on?” Keith asked between kisses. “And try not to fall asleep this time?” he asked with a laugh.

“Sure,” he mumbled, making no move to fiddle with the laptop or let Keith go.

He gave into a few more kisses. “Are you going to let me go so I can put something on?”

Shiro shrugged under his hands. “I dunno. I kind of like having you here in my lap.”

“I never said I wasn’t coming back.”

Shiro sighed and let his hands fall away. Keith gave him one more peck before turning to his computer and scrolling through Netflix until he found his watch list and clicked on the first movie he’d been waiting to see. He settled back into Shiro’s side and threw his arm across Shiro’s stomach as his arm came around his back. Keith rested his head against Shiro’s shoulder and smiled when a kiss was dropped onto his head.

~~

Keith ran his fingers lightly over the fabric of Shiro’s shirt as they laid in his bed that night. He was tucked against him and Keith felt more awake than he had all day. His time with Shiro was almost over and even though they were already making plans to see each other again, he wasn’t ready for Shiro to leave. He wanted more than anything to keep him there with him.

“You should get some sleep.”

Keith jolted in Shiro’s arms at the sound of his voice breaking through the silence.

“You’re awake?”

Shiro’s grip tightened around him and he sighed and opened his eyes. “Yeah. I can feel something radiating off you. I just don’t know what it is.”

Keith shrugged and moved his hand up to Shiro’s hair to comb through the strands. “I just…don’t want you to leave, I guess.”

“You’ve got me for a little longer.”

“Yeah, but…”

“I know, but we can enjoy our last day together.”

“Yeah,” Keith said, voice soft in the silence.

Shiro dipped his head and pressed a kiss to Keith’s lips. “We’ll see each other again before you know it and you can call or text me anytime and I’ll do the same. And we’ll have plenty of time to talk to each other or skype when you’re not working and we’re not bogged down with homework.”

Keith smiled. “I guess that doesn’t sound so bed.”

“We’ve been getting on fine like that so far,” Shiro said, nuzzling the side of his face.

“Point taken,” Keith said, pressing a kiss against Shiro’s cheek where he could reach.

Shiro smiled and turned his head to meet Keith’s lips. Keith’s arms came up to wrap around Shiro’s shoulders and pull him closer. Shiro rolled over and propped himself up just enough so he wasn’t crushing Keith into the mattress. Keith tilted his head back and deepened the kiss.

They smiled at each other when they parted to suck in a breath. Instead of going back in for another, Shiro rolled onto his back and pulled Keith on top of him. Keith crossed his arms on Shiro’s chest and rested his head on them, meeting Shiro’s eyes in the darkness. He wasn’t sure how long they stayed like that staring at each other, but it was long enough for them both to drift off to sleep.


	21. Chapter 21

Keith was pulled unexpectedly from sleep. He was ready to bitch and groan about it because it was still dark in his room when he noticed what had woken him. Shiro was shaking next to him, rolled onto his side and arms pulled in close to his chest. His breathing was short and he sounded like he was gasping. Or hyperventilating.

“Shiro?” Keith asked, not daring to reach out and touch him yet.

He didn’t respond and Keith rolled over to turn on the bedside lamp. The dim light gave him a better view and he could see the sweat that was covering Shiro’s forehead.

“Shiro?” Keith asked again, placing a hand on his shoulder. He twitched. Keith sucked in a breath and shook him gently. “Shiro wake up. It’s only a dream. Come on, Shiro.”

Shiro groaned next to him and Keith shook him more firmly, hoping he was close to pulling out of whatever nightmare he was living through.

“Shiro you’re dreaming. Wake up.”

Shiro jolted, eyes flying open as he froze, sucking in gasps of air.

“Hey,” Keith whispered, cradling his cheek. “Hey, you okay?”

Shiro looked up at him before he closed his eyes and swallowed. He pulled away from Keith and sat up, bringing his knees up to his chest and running his fingers through his damp hair.

“Shiro-“

“I’ll be right back,” he said, flinging the tangled covers off his legs and walking from the room. Keith heard the bedroom door close and sighed, resigned to waiting. He crossed his legs and leaned back against the headboard, fiddling with the blanket over his lap.

He heard the tap turn on for a few minutes before shutting off. Keith straightened, expecting Shiro would walk back to the bedroom after a few seconds, but nothing came. Feeling something tighten in his chest, Keith climbed from the bed and crossed his room to the doorway.

The bathroom door was still shut down the hall and he couldn’t hear anything as he approached. Keith knocked gently on the door.

“Shiro?” he asked. “Are you okay?”

He swallowed at the silence. He didn’t like it. It felt like there was a wall being built between them.

“Please let me in,” he whispered.

He heard a heavy sigh before the door was pulled open. Shiro stood there, eyes cast to the side so he wasn’t looking at Keith. Keith was shocked by how vulnerable he looked. It wasn’t the same kind of uncertainty when they’d talked about boundaries, this was something completely different, like Shiro was worried Keith was going to judge him and throw him out on the street.

“Are you okay?” Keith asked again. “Tired? Shaken? What do you need?”

Shiro’s eyes slipped shut and he furrowed his brows before slowly, so slowly, looking at Keith. The vulnerability seeped further into his eyes. Keith wasn’t sure what he’d experienced in his life or how other people had reacted if they saw Shiro like this, but it made his heart ache.

“Do you want to go back to bed?” Keith asked.

Shiro shook his head.

“Okay. Couch?” he asked, holding out a hand.

A moment passed before Shiro nodded and placed his hand in Keith’s. Keith walked him down the hall and settled on the couch so he was leaning against the arm rest. He pulled Shiro down onto the couch so he was laying on his chest and Keith wrapped his arms around Shiro’s shoulders, fingers running through Shiro’s hair.

Shiro let out a breath and the lingering tension in his shoulders diminished, his eyes sliding shut as he let himself focus on the sensations of Keith’s fingers in his hair. Keith paused for a moment to drop a kiss on the top of Shiro’s head before going back to his ministrations.

Keith wasn’t sure how long they stayed like that. Shiro was a steady presence on top of him and he was starting to get drowsy again from the warmth between them and the pillow behind his head by the time Shiro actually shifted.

“Thanks,” he whispered.

Keith smiled. “Are you feeling better?”

He nodded against his chest. “I’m sor-“

“Hey, no,” Keith interrupted, stopping his petting to look down at Shiro who was staring at a spot across the room. “There’s nothing for you to apologize about. I don’t need any explanations or excuses. I just need to know that you’re okay and if there’s something else you need to reorient yourself.”

“No, I’m okay for now. This…this helped. It’s a lot more than I usually get when I have nightmares.”

Keith swallowed and squeezed Shiro tighter, wishing he didn’t have to deal with this kind of thing by himself.

“Well…if you ever need anything while I’m away, you can call me.”

“What about your precious need for sleep?” Shiro tried to joke.

“This is more important than sleep,” he murmured into Shiro’s hair.

Shiro took a shaky breath and buried his face in Keith’s shirt.

“Feel like watching a movie? Or are you ready to go back to bed?”

“A movie sounds good,” Shiro said, voice muffled. “I usually can’t go back to sleep on nights like this.”

Keith struggled to reach over to the coffee table with Shiro on top of him, but he managed to wrap his fingers around the edge of his laptop and pull it over to him. He balanced it on Shiro’s back as he found Netflix and scrolled through the movies looking for something to watch. He picked one of the animated Disney films and set it to play before setting his computer back on the table.

He shifted under Shiro and found a more comfortable position, fingers going back to Shiro’s hair as a pleasant tune filtered from the speakers.

~~

Keith woke on the couch to find Shiro breathing softly on top of him. His eyes were closed and the screen of Keith’s computer had long gone dark. He smiled, glad Shiro was able to relax enough to get some more sleep.

His smile fell away as soon as he realized he really, _really_ had to go the bathroom.

“Fuck,” he muttered and slapped a hand over his eyes.

Shiro shifted on top of him. “Hm?” he mumbled, eyes still closed.

Keith sighed. “Shiro? Hey, Shiro are you awake?”

“What is it?”

“Do you mind getting up for a minute?”

Shiro groaned and buried his face in Keith’s chest. “But I’m so comfortable,” he whined.

“Well you’re not going to be if I can’t get to the bathroom,” Keith huffed.

That got Shiro’s eyes to snap open and he looked up at him.

“I have to go to the bathroom,” he clarified.

“Oh,” Shiro said, moving sluggishly off of him.

As soon as Keith could wriggle free he darted off the couch and to the bathroom, slamming the door behind him with a little more force than necessary in his hurry to relieve himself. It wasn’t the ideal way to wake up his boyfriend, but at least he hadn’t pissed on him. That would’ve been even worse.

After washing up he peered around the door and found Shiro reclining on his back on the couch. His head rolled to the side and he looked at him at the sound of the door and he smiled.

“Feel like coming back here?” he asked.

Keith sighed and crossed the room over to him, standing at his side. “Sorry about that.”

Shiro shook his head and caught his hand, tugging on him until he relented and draped himself over Shiro’s chest, mirroring how they’d slept before.

“What time is it?” Shiro rumbled underneath him.

Keith lifted his head and glanced at the clock. “Not quite noon yet.”

“So late,” he groaned.

Keith shrugged. “We needed the sleep.”

“I can sleep when I get back home,” Shiro argued.

Keith chuckled. “It’s okay. We’ll be together again soon.”

“Yeah, but my flight’s tonight and I wanted to spend as much time with you as possible.”

Keith planted his chin on Shiro’s chest and looked up at his boyfriend. He smiled at Shiro’s pout. “It won’t be that bad, I promise. And we still have a lot of time. We can lay around on the couch and get some last minute time together. But first, we can start with breakfast.”

“I think it’s more brunch at this point…” Shiro pointed out.

“It can be whatever we want it to be. Who says we have to confine our meals to the strict routine everyone else finds acceptable?”

Shiro smiled and ducked his head, only managing to reach Keith’s forehead for a kiss.

“Come on,” Keith said, sitting up and climbing off the couch. “I can make us something to eat and if you want to get cleaned up or put on your prosthetic you can.”

Shiro stopped him before he could move too far away and pulled him down for a proper kiss. Keith patted Shiro’s cheek before moving off into the kitchen. He heard the springs in the couch creak and looked over his shoulder to find Shiro walking back to his bedroom.

He searched his cabinets, looking for the best thing to make. He didn’t want to make pancakes again since they’d just had that. He settled on making toast and a large serving of scrambled eggs, hoping it wouldn’t be too underwhelming on Shiro’s last morning with him for a while.

As he was plating the food arms wrapped around his stomach from behind and a kiss was pressed to the side of his head.

“Smells good,” Shiro said, warm against his back and smelling fresh out of the shower.

“It’s not the pancakes we had yesterday, but I hope it’ll do,” Keith said, turning in Shiro’s arms to wrap his own arms around Shiro’s shoulders.

He smiled. “Maybe not, but it’s just as good.”

Keith raised an eyebrow, trying to look skeptical and failing with how happy and content he was. “You haven’t even tried it yet.”

“Don’t need to. Everything you make is good.”

“Then let’s eat,” Keith said, trying to pull out of Shiro’s grip, but he didn’t let go.

“Let me at least show my gratitude for all the work you put into making dinner,” Shiro said, ducking his head, bringing their lips almost together.

Keith didn’t hesitate to press forward, wrapping his arms tighter around Shiro’s shoulders at the soft caress of their lips together. Keith lost himself into the kiss, forgetting that he’d just made breakfast and it would get cold if they waited too long.

Shiro hummed and licked his lips when he pulled back. “I’m sure your breakfast will be on par with the pancakes from yesterday, but I’m not sure it’ll be on par with that.”

“Then I guess we better find out,” Keith said, pulling back and shoving a plate into Shiro’s hands before breezing past him with his own food for the couch.

~~

They stayed curled up together on the couch after finishing breakfast and watched anything and everything they found interesting on Netflix. The shows and movies were less important than getting to spend their last few hours together, holding hands, leaning against each other, cuddling, or running their fingers through each other’s hair. (There were a few make outs in there too, but Keith wasn’t going to divulge that information to his friends.)

Keith had excused himself to shower and get changed as Shiro packed and they held hands tightly on the bus ride to the airport. Neither of them said anything during the ride, but Keith leaned his head against Shiro’s shoulder, drawing his last few moments of physical comfort from him as the buildings whizzed by and Shiro’s thumb rubbed circles into the back of his hand.

The line for Shiro’s airline check-in was long and Keith was forced to wait to the side, holding Shiro’s backpack tightly in his hand as he watched him make slow progress forward until he was at the counter. Shiro smiled and talked jovially with the worker, making Keith swallow thickly. He was going to miss that smile.

After handing over his suitcase and taking his boarding pass he turned away, eyes immediately going to Keith who moved to meet him at the end of the line. Shiro took his backpack and grabbed Keith’s hand, squeezing it tight as they moved to security. The line was already long and moving slowly and they took a moment to stay to the side.

Keith stared down at his shoes, not knowing what he would see in Shiro’s eyes or how he was going to react to that.

“Keith,” Shiro said softly.

Keith took a shaky breath and lifted his head slowly, meeting Shiro’s eyes and the sadness that lingered inside.

“We’ll see each other again soon.”

Keith surged forward and wrapped his arms around Shiro’s shoulders, holding him tight. Shiro pulled him as close as he could.

“I’m going to miss you,” Keith mumbled into Shiro’s shoulder. “I’m going to miss you so much.”

“I know. Me too. But only for a few months,” he said, rubbing the palm of his hand up and down Keith’s spine. “Only for a few months.”

“It’s going to be a long few months.”

“We can skype and call and text,” Shiro said. “And you better believe that I’m going to want to talk to you as much as possible.”

Keith huffed a sort of strangled laugh and fought back the emotion that wanted to overtake him. He wasn’t going to cry. Not in the middle of the airport and not in front of Shiro.

“As much as I don’t want to, I need to get in line before it gets too long. Can’t miss my flight and I’m sure you need to get back.”

Keith nodded and forced himself to pull back. Shiro smiled and cupped Keith’s cheek and Keith offered his own shaky smile. Shiro ducked his head and kissed him firmly. Keith’s eyes slid shut and he reveled in the last bit of feeling that would have to carry him through until spring break. Shiro broke the kiss first and Keith took his time in letting his eyes open, taking in every physical feature of Shiro in front of him.

Shiro stepped back and Keith grabbed his hand, holding tight as long as he could. Shiro walked backwards, holding his gaze until he was too far away and he had to pull his hand away. Seconds after Shiro moved into the roped off area, someone else stepped in behind him.

Keith waited, watching Shiro’s slow progress and reveling the glances he would always shoot over his shoulder as he waited. He fingered his phone in his pocket, only pulling it out once Shiro had made it through security and moved out of sight. He turned away and started walked towards the exit, fingers slightly unsteady.

_Keith: Have a safe flight._

_Shiro: Don’t work too hard. I’ll make sure to text you when I land. Love you, baby._

Keith bit his lip and tightened his grip on his phone, hesitating for a moment.

_Keith: Love you too, Shiro._

He locked his phone and squeezed it tight in his hand before hurrying back outside to the bus that was waiting. He swiped his pass as he boarded and walked to the back, slumping into the last row of seats as he tried to calm his heart.

His phone vibrated and he swallowed before looking down at it, feeling a smile tug at the corners of his lips.

_Shiro: <3_

These next few months were going to be too long.


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I meant to have this chapter up last week, but I was on break and being lazy.

Keith yawned as he pushed through the back door of his work. He swung around to the employee lockers and sluggishly put in his combo before pulling the metallic door open and throwing his jacket and wallet inside. He sighed and let it fall shut before running a hand through his hair and slipping down the hall past the door to the kitchen. He punched his number into the time clock and headed out to the floor.

The sounds of dishes and silverware tapping against each other and the soft murmurs of conversation blended together in the background with the soft classical music playing over the speakers. He could see George hard at work making drinks, lips turned down in concentration and he made it behind the counter before he took notice of him.

“Need help?” Keith asked, crossing his arms and leaning his hip against the counter.

George’s head snapped up after he dumped a tumbler of liquor into the glass he was prepping. A wide grin stretched across his face.

“Heyyyyy, look who’s back!” He quickly finished up the drink and set it on the tray with the drink receipt. “How was your week of vacation?” he asked, draping his hand towel over his shoulder.

Keith glanced to the side as the corner of his lips ticked up at the memory of Shiro. “It was great,” he murmured.

“Oh?”

Keith looked up to find George had moved closer and was eyeing him.

“What’s that look for?” he asked.

Keith shrugged and felt his face heat up. “Nothing.” He cleared his throat and skirted around George. “We should get these drink orders taken care of.”

“Not so fast,” George said, taking the next drink order after Keith. “You look like you got the best Christmas present. You never look like that.”

“Well…” Keith said as he turned to grab the bottle of whisky behind them.

George gasped and when he turned around found him with a hand over his chest. Keith rolled his eyes at his dramatics and pulled a small glass from the rack underneath the counter.

“What’s that look for?” he asked.

“What Christmas present did you get?” he asked, leaning forward.

Keith shoved him away. “Don’t just stand there. We have a pile of drinks to get through.”

George raised an eyebrow and made a show of pulling out the glass and alcohol he needed. “I am clearly working. Now continue. I want to know about this present you got. What was it?”

“Not so much an it as a who,” Keith offered.

“You didn’t get a mail order bride did you?”

Keith spluttered and nearly spilled the bottle of whisky he was holding. He breathed a sigh of relief when he got the lid back on. It was one of the more expensive brands and he wasn’t sure Linda would let him off easy for spilling it and he wasn’t prepared to pay her back for it. Not when he needed to save up for spring break.

“What the hell, George?” Keith asked, holding the bottle of whisky close to his chest. “Why would you ask something like that?”

He shrugged and put the finishing touches on his drink, setting it on one of the trays before picking up the next slip in the pile. “Hey, you never know. And you haven’t exactly been in the most sharing mood. If you don’t tell me anything I’m going to assume the worst.”

Keith grumbled and stuck the whisky under the counter. He set the drink on a tray and looked around to make sure none of the other wait staff were nearby. He was already the concern of a lot of the employees since he was living on his own and paying for school. The last thing he needed was for them to be worried he was dating a serial killer.

“You promise to keep this quiet?” he asked.

George leveled him with a look. “You seriously can’t trust me with this?”

“I just don’t want it getting around when it doesn’t need to.”

George’s disbelief and exasperation morphed into determination. “Of course, man. I’ve got your back.”

Keith let out a breath. “Okay,” he said, fiddling with the bottles of alcohol. “My…boyfriend came to visit last week.”

He was expecting to hear glass shattering in the kind of dramatic fashion George embodied, but when he turned to look, George was staring at him, mouth wide open, and tequila held firmly in his hand.

“When the hell did you,” he started too loud. Checking himself, he added, “Get a boyfriend?”

Keith scratched the back of his head and measured out the first alcohol for his next drink. “A few months ago I think? It’s been long distance and I haven’t really told anyone besides Pidge and Hunk.”

“Wait, wait, wait…long distance. So you met this guy online?”

Keith raised an eyebrow and nodded. “Yeah, I did. Just like all the people who use dating sites do.”

George opened his mouth to say something, but paused and nodded. “Keith Kogane did you use a dating site?”

Keith scoffed. “Of course not.”

“Then how did you two meet?” he asked, finally turning back to his work and completing the drink orders in earnest.

“We ended up teaming up one night while playing _Voltron._ We kind of became regulars at that and a few weeks went by and we got closer before getting together.”

“Aww,” George crooned. “You’re both nerds.”

“Shut up,” Keith said, elbowing him in the side even as he grinned. “Shiro’s a bigger nerd than I am.”

“So his name’s Shiro huh?” George asked.

Keith flushed and turned away.

“Nah, it’s nice,” he continued. “I’m glad that you found someone. Honestly, I didn’t even think you were interested in dating, but you seem happy with him. Next time he’s in town you should bring him around and let me meet him. I’ll fix him up a nice drink on the house.”

Keith’s lips ticked up. “Thanks, George. I really appreciate it.”

The two of them fell back into work next to each other, a companionable silence hanging over their heads as they filled the remainder of the rush orders that had piled up before Keith had made it in.

~~

As Keith swung past Linda’s office on his way out she spoke up inside and stopped him.

“Wait, Keith!”

He backtracked and stuck his head around the door, finding her already halfway out of her desk chair.

“What’s up?” he asked.

“I’ve got the open slots for the next few weeks that you’re on break. I’m giving you first pick of the extra shifts that you want. I’ll let you take up to three extra shifts each week, but you’re already pretty booked here so don’t overdo it and there are plenty of other people who would be more than willing to take the extra shifts, too.”

Keith took the spreadsheet from her hands and looked over the list, sitting in one of the armchairs in front of her desk as he looked things over. Since he didn’t have obligations with school at the moment, he had more than enough time to take on three extra shifts without having to worry about losing sleep and he could probably find time to spend with Shiro outside of that since his schedule would no doubt be flexible too.

“Do you have a pen so I can mark these?” he asked.

Linda held out a blue fountain pen and he took it, bracing the sheets of paper on his legs as he marked off the extra shifts he wanted to take.

“The changes will be uploaded to the employee scheduling system, right?” he asked, passing the papers and pens across the table.

She nodded. “I’m going to update your schedule right now and I’ll post the extra shifts for everyone else to pick and choose as they please. When you can get it to me, I’m going to need a copy of your schedule and updated availability for next semester so I know when I’m going to be able to schedule your hours.”

Keith nodded. “Do you want a physical copy or is email okay?”

“Either’s fine. Just make sure it’s as a timetable.”

“Sure thing,” he said, pushing out of his chair and turning to leave.

“One last thing,” she said, stopping him.

He raised an eyebrow and turned back around.

“Don’t give me that look, it’s nothing bad. I just wanted to know how your break last week was. You’re normally so focused on school and work that you don’t give yourself much time off.”

Keith smiled. “It was nice. I actually managed to enjoy the week and having the chance to spend time with my friends without struggling to work it around everything else.”

Linda smiled and nodded. “That’s good. And you’re always welcome to take more time if you need it.”

“I know, but that probably won’t happen until spring break. I’m hoping to go somewhere so I’m going to need the extra shifts to save up for it.”

“That’s wonderful! I’m glad you’re taking the chance to enjoy some time for yourself. I’ll keep you in mind for extra shifts as always and let me know if there’s anything else you need from me. Enjoy the rest of your night.”

“Yeah, thanks,” Keith said with a smile before he slipped out of her office and headed towards the employee lockers. He pulled his jacket and wallet free, slipping his arms through the sleeves of his coat. He pulled out his phone as he headed towards the back door and smiled at the message he had from Shiro.

_Shiro: It’s so lonely without you, babyyyyyy_

Keith’s smile turned to a grimace as he pushed the back door open and was met with a gust of chilling wind that ruffled his hair. He ducked his head against it and pulled his jacket tighter around him, wishing he had a hat or a scarf to keep him warm. Or even a car that he could blast the heat in as he drove back to his apartment.

He grit his teeth as he hit the sidewalk and kept his head down, typing out a quick message to Shiro as he fought against the cutting wind.

_Keith: I think it got colder now that you’re gone._

_Keith: Why did you have to take all the warmth with you?_

He clutched his phone tightly in his hand and crossed his arms to try and keep some semblance of warmth trapped in his body. He was definitely going to jump into bed as soon as he got back and wrap himself in a thousand blankets to keep warm.

His phone buzzed in his hand but he waited until he was safely around the corner to his street and out of the direct force of the wind to check it.

_Shiro: It’s not my fault you decided to live where it’s cold._

_Keith: I didn’t ‘decide’ to live here. This is where I grew up. Not like I could do much else when I was applying for colleges and couldn’t legally move anywhere yet._

_Shiro: Well now that you can move anywhere you like you can move somewhere warmer so you don’t have to deal with the cold._

Keith shook his head and pulled his keys from his pocket, fumbling them in the lock to his building before he managed to shove the door open and step into the warmth. He sighed as the door fell shut behind him and blocked out the cold, making him shiver at the sudden temperature change.

_Keith: After I graduate._

_Keith: There’s no use transferring for my last semester of school_

_Shiro: You disappoint me_

Keith rolled his eyes as he stepped off the landing to his floor.

_Keith: Whatever, Shiro. Are you busy tonight? I just got off work and don’t have to go in again until tomorrow afternoon. I have all kinds of free time without having to worry about classes._

His phone vibrated as he shoved his keys into his apartment door and pushed it open, letting it fall shut behind him as he toed off his boots.

_Shiro: I’m always free for you. Movie or gaming?_

_Keith: Are Lance and Allura free too? We could do one of the harder missions and get that done._

_Shiro: Let me text them and I’ll let you know._

Keith slipped into his bedroom and tossed his phone onto his bed as he undid the buttons on his work shirt, exchanging it for something more comfortable and his pants for a pair of sweats. He settled down against the headboard and opened his laptop.

He felt his phone vibrate and reached across the comforter for it.

_Shiro: Both of them are free and ready to game. Apparently they’re mad the four of us haven’t gotten together more often._

_Keith: Cool. I’m about to log into my account so I’ll meet you in there._

Keith pulled his headphones from the bedside table and plugged them into his computer before slipping them on his head. He adjusted the mic in front of his mouth and logged into his _Voltron_ account. He watched as he appeared in the middle of the Castle and he took the chance to scroll through the available missions for a four-player team while he waited for Shiro and the others to get online.

He grinned at the sound of a notification and opened the call.

“Hey, baby,” Shiro said making Keith roll his eyes.

“Hey, Shiro. Your friends on yet?”

“Nope, but they’ll be on soon. Both of them weren’t exactly ready to start right away.”

“Sorry.”

“Not your fault,” he said easily. “You have any ideas for what mission you want to do?”

“Yeah, I was actually looking through them and I think I found one that might be pretty interesting.”

“Oh? What did you find?”

“It’s the one on the sand planet or whatever. Takes four players and it looks like we have to retrieve something for the king or the royal family.”

Shiro hummed and Keith could hear him clicking over to it. “Yeah, that one looks good. I think it’ll prove to be a challenge for us.”

“Shiiirooooooo!”

Keith blinked at the new voice sounding through his headphones.

“Finally joining us, Lance,” Shiro said.

“Hey, I’m not last. Allura’s still getting set up.”

“I know. We were just looking at missions and found one to do.”

“Which one?”

“The one on the sand planet,” Keith said, breaking in. “It’s a four-player. Should be cool.”

“Sup, Keith?” Lance said, brightening. “How was it having Shiro up there with you? Shiro’s been keeping pretty tight-lipped so I’m not getting any of the-“

“Lance,” Allura said, breaking in. “Leave them alone.”

“Ooooh,” he shot back. “Look who finally decided to join us.”

“Careful,” Allura warned, “or the next time I see you, you’re going to get a nice slap across your cheek.”

“You’re no fun,” he whined.

“You only say that because Allura’s got better scores than you,” Keith said, clicking on their mission to calibrate it with their group.

The line when dead silent and Keith froze, thinking he’d overstepped his boundaries. But then Shiro’s booming laughter filled the silence and Allura started to giggle. He could hear Lance mutter something, but it didn’t come through the line clearly.

“He’s got a point,” Shiro said, making Keith grin.

“You only say that because he’s your boyfriend,” Lance muttered.

“You do have good attack accuracy, though,” Keith conceded, feeling a little guilty over having singled him out.

“Damn right, I do,” Lance scoffed. “Someone has to have all of your backs when your attacks fall short half the time.”

“It’s not that bad,” Shiro said as their screens switched over to the video before their new mission.

“It kind of is. You and Keith are lucky that you’ve specialized your characters in hand-to-hand because there’s less room for error when you’re going directly against one of the enemy fighters and only have to worry about dodging their counterattacks. Throwing objects or using guns would decrease your accuracy by a lot,” Lance rattled off.

“But…” Shiro tried.

“I mean,” Keith said, “he’s got a point. I always preferred going hand-to-hand or using a sword and dagger with my fights because I always felt guns were too bulky and didn’t offer the fast turnaround I wanted. So if you threw a gun or blaster at me for a mission I wouldn’t halfway know what to do with it, let alone be able to aim and neutralize our opponents easily.”

There was silence for a moment and Keith looked down at his screen, making sure he was still connected thinking it had dropped, but all four of them were blinking strongly.

“Did I say something wrong?”

“You agreed with me,” Lance said, sounding confused more than anything.

Keith frowned. “Yeah? Is that a problem?”

“No?”

“Well now that we’ve got that settled,” Keith muttered with a role of his eyes. “How about we actually get to this mission? I think there might be some good rewards and an opportunity to level up. After all this talk, I want to gain more experience and increase my attack points.”

Everyone else made sounds of agreement and Keith smiled, watching as their characters appeared on the planet their mission was on. As much as he was already missing having Shiro around, it was nice having the chance to relax without worrying about everything else.


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Pokes my head in the door.*
> 
> Heyyyyy everybody. I know it's been a while since I've updated like anything. But I was super swamped with end of semester homework and finals and I actually graduated this morning. I've got my diploma in hand and am finally able to post a fic update again! Woo!
> 
> I'm slightly terrified of what's going to happen next in my life (if y'all even care about that), but hopefully things manage to work out since I have no idea what I'm doing with my life. 
> 
> Regardless of all of that, I'm hoping to now finally get back onto a regular updating schedule while I job hunt and figure out what the hell I'm doing. 
> 
> So anyway, enjoy the update!(?)(please?)
> 
> <3 MOLIM

Keith yawned and pulled his key from his pocket. It was late and he was just now getting off a double shift for the day. The crowds hadn't been bad, but standing on his feet and preparing drinks all day was no less taxing. He was just glad he didn't have to deal with the customers. There had been more than one old couple who'd complained about the speed of service and if Keith had been in the position of the waitstaff, he would've easily told the customers that their food wasn't going to be cooked any faster unless they wanted it burned on the outside and raw on the inside.   
  
He stretched his arms over his head and crossed the lobby of his building to the rows of mailboxes. His key stuck as he tried to slide it inside his mailbox and he wiggled it to get it inside before he could turn it and open the box. He pulled out a few envelopes and frowned at the slip that indicated he had a package in the office. He hadn't ordered anything and didn't know anyone who would've sent him something. If Pidge and Hunk had anything to give him, they would've done that in person.   
  
Keith stared down at the slip as he walked over to the office and pushed the door open. The superintendent was still at his desk even this late at night and he didn't know if he ever actually slept.   
  
"Evening, Keith," he said, sounding tired.   
  
"I got a package slip," he said, holding up the piece of paper.   
  
"Oh, right. Came in this afternoon," he said, pushing his chair back and moving over to the row of shelves that housed various boxes and the bigger envelopes which didn't fit in the small mailboxes. He hummed as he scanned the shelves, pulling a thin package down once he found it.   
  
Keith handed over the slip of paper and took the package. "Thanks," he said, looking down at the label as he turned and walked out of the office and towards the stairs. His brow furrowed as he saw the return address belonged to Shiro. He had no idea what he would’ve send him, especially since he'd just been there the last week.   
  
He hurried up the stairs to his apartment and pushed inside. Kicking off his shoes in the entryway, he headed towards the kitchen and dropped the package on the table, reaching for the scissors in his junk drawer. He used one of the blades and sliced open the tape. He pulled open the flaps and stared at what was nestled inside.   
  
Keith reached for his phone and pulled it from his back pocket, pulling up his message history with Shiro.   
  
_Keith: Did you send me your beanie???_  
  
He set his phone on the table and pulled the small knitted garment from the box, revealing a note underneath. His phone vibrated and he reached for it, checking the new message.   
  
_Shiro: So you got it????_   
  
_Keith: Yeah, but why did you send me your beanie._   
  
_Shiro: I figured you could use it more than me since it's so cold up there. And it would give you a little reminder of me when I'm not there._   
  
Keith felt his face heat up at the message.   
  
_Keith: I don't think you need to give me a reminder so I don't stop thinking about you.  
  
Shiro: So you've been thinking about me, baby?  
  
Keith: You're ridiculous  
  
Shiro: Yeah, but that's what you like about me._   
  
"Yeah, maybe it is," he muttered to himself.   
  
Almost against his better judgement, he held the beanie up to his nose and took a deep inhale. It smelled like Shiro and was comforting in his absence. He pulled it onto his head even though he didn't need it inside his apartment.   
  
Keith reached for the note and unfolded the small sheet of paper.   
  
_Keith,  
  
I figured you could use this more than me since it's so much colder up there. And think of it as a Christmas present from me since I don't have anything else to give you right now. And maybe it's my way of being with you even though I can't be there in person right now.   
  
x Shiro_  
  
Keith shook his head and folded the piece of paper back up. His stomach grumbled and he turned to his fridge, searching for the leftovers he'd stored the night before. He pulled the container of pasta out and set it on the counter before reaching for a bowl. He dumped the pasta into the bowl and stuck it into the microwave to heat up.   
  
He grabbed his phone as he waited and sent another message back to Shiro.   
  
_Keith: You busy tonight?  
  
Shiro: No. What were you thinking?_   
  
_Keith: Feel like a movie or show? I'm kind of tired so not looking for anything too long, but we could hang out while I eat my dinner and relax before bed._   
  
_Shiro: Sure. I can get things set up._  
  
Keith: Cool. I'll go grab my computer.   
  
The microwave beeped and he mixed the pasta before sticking it back in to finish heating. He crossed his apartment and grabbed his computer from the bedside table in his bedroom and his headphones. He set it up on the kitchen table, moving the empty box out of the way and set it to power up while he retrieved his now cooked food from the microwave.   
  
He settled into one of the chairs and kicked his feet up on the chair opposite of himself, leaning heavily against the back of the chair. He logged into his rabbit account and accepted the invitation that was already waiting for him for Shiro's streaming room. He plugged in his headphones and turned on the microphone for the chat room.   
  
"Hey, Shiro," Keith said as he speared a couple of bites of pasta and navigated them around his mic to stuff in his mouth.   
  
"Hey, babe. How are you?" he asked, voice soft.

“Not too bad today,” he said around his mouthful of food. “I’m a little more tired than usual because I had a double shift today, but the crowds weren’t too bad.”

“It was just being on your feet all day?”

“Yeah, just all the standing,” Keith said, fork clinking against the side of the bowl. “And I wasn’t working alone for the night rush so it wasn’t too bad.”

“Was George working with you?”

Keith shook his head and then felt silly since Shiro couldn’t see him. “No. It was one of the other ladies for the night. I think this was only our second or third time working together, but we’re both on top of our shit so it wasn’t bad. There were actually a couple times when she would jump on the drink orders as they came through and I was left without something to do for a few minutes.”

He watched the screen as Shiro pulled up Netflix and queued up a show for them to watch.

“But things are going good?”

Keith chuckled. “Yeah, they’re good. It’s nice not having to be stressed about school for once when I’m at work and I don’t think I’m ever scheduled for two double shifts in a row so I’m taking full advantage of the extra sleep I’m getting.”

“You gonna miss it when classes start up again?”

“Of course I am, but it’s only one more semester. After I graduate I’m only going to have to worry about everything else.”

“You’ll be fine,” Shiro said. “I’m sure of it.”

Keith propped his fist against his cheek and stared at the screen in front of him. Things had gotten so much better after Shiro had come into his life.

“Yeah…” he said quietly. “I’m sure I will be.”

“You ready to watch a show?”

“I’ve been ready. You’re the one who’s kept us from starting with all of your questions.”

“Well excuse me for wanting to know how my boyfriend is doing,” he muttered.

“You can text me these things you know,” Keith said.

“Yeah, but there’s something about getting to hear it come from your mouth that just doesn’t come through a text.”

Keith felt his face heat up and he shifted in his chair. “Let’s just get this started before I fall asleep.”

Shiro chuckled, voice low and breathy in Keith’s ear and it set goosebumps loose over his skin. He fought down a shiver that traveled over his skin and reminders of their last night in bed together flitted through his mind. He swallowed and fought to bring himself back to the present to focus on the show they were watching.

He couldn’t let himself get caught up in such thoughts. Not when there was already so much distance between them and he wouldn’t be able to close it until spring break.

~~

Keith blinked his eyes open and stretched his arms over his head. He arched his back above the mattress before he fell down heavily onto it. There wasn’t anything quite like being able to wake up without the blare of an alarm. He sighed, debating whether he should get up and eat breakfast or try to sleep a little longer.

Finally, he rolled over and reached for his phone on the bedside table, finding a text from Shiro already waiting for him.

_Shiro: Morning, baby! Hope you slept well_

Keith bit his lip, trying to keep his lips from pulling into a wide grin. He threw an arm over his eyes and chuckled, feeling happiness rise up in his chest. He never would’ve pegged himself as the type to get embarrassed over something so simple, but Shiro had convinced him differently about a lot of things when it came to their relationship.

_Keith: Is there ever a time when you’re not unbelievably cheesy?_

He let his phone fall down onto his chest even as it stayed in his grip and pushed himself up from bed. He took a minute to stretch his arms over his head and arched his back once again. He sighed and let his arms fall to his sides, phone gripped in his hand as he walked down the hallway towards the kitchen.

He grabbed a glass from the cabinet and filled it under the tap before taking a long drink to wash away the aftertaste of his morning breath. His phone vibrated against the counter as he refilled his glass.

_Shiro: When it comes to you? No_

Keith rolled his eyes and leaned against the edge of the counter, smiling down at his phone in his hands.

_Keith: Careful or you might run out of cheesy things to do_

_Shiro: I’ll just have to get more creative with my ideas then ;)_

Keith bit his lip and felt his stomach flutter happily.

_Keith: You busy tomorrow night?_

_Shiro: No more than usual during break. You wanna do something?_

_Keith: Yeah. Movie night?_

_Shiro: Sure! Do you have to work?_

_Keith: I’ve got an evening shift today and a morning shift tomorrow so I’ll be all yours for the evening._

_Shiro: What do you feel like watching?_

_Keith: Anything really. While I’m busy working you can busy yourself with scouring for something to watch._

_Shiro: You got it, babe._

Keith chuckled and picked up his water glass before moving back down the hall. He reached into the bathroom and started the shower before slipping into his bedroom. He set his phone and the half-empty glass on his bedside table as he pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it onto his unmade bed before stepping out of his sweatpants.

He downed the rest of his water before grabbing his phone and heading into the bathroom. He turned on some low music and shoved his boxers down around his legs before stepping into the shower. He hummed along to the music as he ran his hands through his wet hair.

~~

Keith struggled to pull himself off the couch when it was late in the afternoon and time to get dressed for his shift. Having the morning and afternoon to laze around was something he could certainly get used to, but working as a bartender wasn’t something he wanted to do for the rest of his life. He’d much rather have a more predictable schedule and work without running the risk of having to deal with unhappy customers.

He washed his dishes that were left over from lunch before moving into the bedroom to change into his work clothes. He shoved his feet into his boots and pulled his jacket on. He turned to walk away and leave for the restaurant, but paused when he caught sight of the beanie that he’d left on his bedside table the night before.

He reached for it even as a smile pulled at his lips and slipped it onto his head, using the warm hat to cover his ears. He shoved his wallet and phone into his pockets and flicked the light of his bedroom off as he left it behind.

Keith picked up his keys from the bowl on the table next to the door and pulled his apartment door open, nodding towards one of the other residents as he passed. He double checked to make sure his door was locked before hurrying for the stairs.

The biting wind slipped underneath the edges of his jacket and Keith pulled it tighter around himself, but the beanie easily kept his head warm. The walk wasn’t as bad as it normally would’ve been and he was starting to wonder why he hadn’t bought a hat for himself sooner when it was protecting him against such a strong chill. The only other thing he needed was a scarf, but the fact that it wouldn’t smell like Shiro made it less appealing.

“Afternoon,” Keith said as he pushed through the backdoor of the restaurant and practically ran into one of the servers on their way out.

They nodded back before slipping through the door and into the cold outside. Keith hurried down the hallway past the kitchen to the breakroom, fighting off the last of the chill that still clung to him. He shoved his jacket and new hat into his locker and let it fall shut behind him.

He quickly clocked in and headed towards the floor where a young woman was looking particularly frazzled behind the counter. She looked more than a little relieved when he slipped behind the counter and he gave her a nod in return.

“Rough night?” he hedged, not too keen on having a conversation with someone he didn’t know that well.

“A bit. I screwed up on one drink order and the next thing I knew, there was a whole pile of receipts waiting for me that I was struggling to get caught up on.”

Keith looked at the sizeable pile sitting on the counter and reached for the one on top. “No worries,” he said, reading over it. “We can get these taken care of before too long.”

They didn’t talk much as they worked through the drink orders and got them sent off with minimal new orders coming in. Keith was glad when he could take a moment to breathe after they finished off the pile and a single new order came in. His coworker snatched it up before he could and he got started on working through putting away some of the new glasses the kitchen had brought for them.

“Thanks for that,” she sighed after finishing up the last drink and setting a newly emptied bottle of alcohol into the bin below the counter to be counted at the end of the shift.

“No problem,” Keith said, nodding towards the bin of glasses. “We’ve gotta help each other out.”

“Thanks,” she said again, reaching for one of the new glasses. “I got a bit overwhelmed with the influx of orders.”

“Are you new?” Keith asked.

“Yeah. I’ve only been around for the past week.”

He nodded. “Don’t worry too much. You’ll get the hang of it before too long and if you’re ever paired up with George he’ll make sure to take care of you.”

She nodded in recognition. “I’ve worked with him a couple of times already and he was actually working when I was brought in for the interview. He’s really nice.”

Keith nodded.

“I’m Kayla by the way,” she added, moving around him.

“Keith,” he offered.

“So how long have you worked here?”

“The past three years.”

“Wow,” she said. “Impressive.”

He shrugged, ducking his head as he picked up the empty bin the glasses had been in and stepped towards the edge of the counter.

“It’s good work and Linda’s been amazing so I haven’t had any reason to leave yet. I’ll be back in a minute after I take this back to the kitchen.”

She looked a little disappointed that he was ducking out of the conversation. “Sure thing. I’ll hold things down here…”

Keith nodded and turned on his heel, heading towards the kitchen. He winced a little at his abrupt exit. He didn’t want to come off as though he didn’t like her already. He knew how stressful and anxiety inducing the first few weeks of a new job could be, but he wasn’t the best around new people. He sighed as he pushed through the door to the kitchen.

One of the bussers hurried past and took the bin from his hand, either going to replace it with the others or to fill it with more things. Keith sighed and let his hand fall back down before he turned on his heel and made his way back to the bar.

Kayla had her head down and was working on a new drink, but she flashed him a smile when he rounded the corner of the bar. He nodded back politely and reached for the next drink ticket, hoping that the rest of the evening would stay as relaxed as his shift had been so far.


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are back again with another chapter! *pumps fist* 
> 
> I'm very excited for you to read this one, because I had a lot of fun writing it. So please enjoy the update I spent writing this week. 
> 
> <3 MOLIM

Keith grinned when George walked around the counter for his shift. He made to run past him and head to the back room, but he stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.

“What’s gotten into you?” he asked with a chuckle. “You got a hot date or something?”

“Something like that,” Keith hinted, slipping out of his grasp. He turned to walk backwards.

George made an interested noise. “You’ll have to tell me about it later,” he said, propping his elbows on the counter and perching his chin in the palm of his hand.

Keith rolled his eyes. “It’s not that big of a deal. We’re just watching movies.”

George sighed. “You should’ve let me imagine what could’ve happened. What else am I going to use to keep myself entertained during work if it’s not your escapades with your boyfriend?”

“Do what you always do and make fun of the customers who are being rude,” Keith said, turning to leave. “I’ll see you around.”

“See you,” George called after him.

Keith rushed to the back, careful before he pushed into the kitchen to avoid taking out anyone carrying a tray. He jerked back when he came face to face with Kayla who had a hand raised to push the door open.

“Sorry,” he apologized, stepping around her. “I was just on my way out.”

“Sure,” she said, smiling brightly.

Keith spun around and slipped past her to the time clock, punching in his ID to clock out before he hurried to his locker. He slipped his arms through the sleeves of his coat and shoved his beanie on his head.

A few of the cooks raised hands at him as he passed by.

“Wait!”

He stopped and one of the older women shoved a plastic bag in his hands. He looked inside to find several to-go containers inside.

“Dinner for the night,” she said with a smile.

“You really don’t have to…” he started.

She held up a hand. “It’s the end of the week and you’ve been working hard. Take it.”

“Thank you,” Keith murmured.

She smiled and turned to get back to her station. Keith watched her go before he remembered why he was in such a hurry in the first place. He pushed out the back door and hit the pavement, keeping the loops of the plastic bag tight around his wrist.

His breath puffed in front of him as he ran down the sidewalk, swerving around people who were heading to dinner or doing some shopping after work. His chest felt warm and happy and excited despite the biting cold that threatened to suck his good mood. It was another reason he was glad he worked so close to his apartment because it didn’t take him too long to get to his front door.

Keith shoved his key into the lock impatiently and shoved into the main lobby. The door closed loudly behind him, but he didn’t pay it much mind as he thumped up the stairs to his floor.

He kicked off his shoes as soon as he was inside his apartment and set the bag of food on the kitchen table before moving into his bedroom to change into something more comfortable. He dropped his work clothes in a pile on the floor and pulled on a pair of sweats and a light tee, feeling better now that he was back inside out of the cold.

Keith grabbed his computer and started it up as he walked back to the kitchen. He set it on the table and pulled out the containers to look at what he’d been given for the night. He had a large slice of chocolate cake, spaghetti, garlic bread, and a cup of chili that was still hot to the touch. He put one of the slices of bread on a napkin and left the chili on the table, putting everything else into the fridge for later.

His computer sounded an alert, making him smile. He grabbed a spoon and settled down at the table, opening the messenger he shared with Shiro.

_Shiro: You ready for tonight?_

_Keith: Yup! I just got back from work so I was grabbing some food. I just need to pull up rabbit. Voice chat tonight?_

_Shiro: Sure. I just need to grab my headphones._

_Keith: Me too_

He left rabbit to load in his web browser as he darted back to his bedroom to get his headphones from his bedside table. He slipped them on his head and adjusted the mic so that he could eat his dinner without worrying it might accidentally drip all over the tech.

“Hey baby.”

Keith smiled as he broke off a bite of garlic bread to dip into his cup of chili.

“Hey yourself,” he said.

“How was your day?”

He watched as Shiro navigated the screen and pulled up Netflix.

“Not too bad,” he said around a mouthful of food. “It felt really long because I was waiting to get home all day. George made fun of me on the way out and asked me if I had a hot date.”

Shiro chuckled. “And what did you say?”

“Oh I said that I had to meet this insufferable guy for a project and he was the most ridiculous person ever and I only wanted to get there so I could leave.”

“Keith,” he whined. “Come on, babe.”

Keith laughed and swirled his spoon in his food. He bit his lip at the grin that pulled at his lips. “Nah, I just said that it was something like a date, that’s all. How were things for you today?”

“You know, quiet. I’ve been trying to find things to keep me busy and went to the library today for some books.”

“Find anything good?”

“I grabbed a couple sci-fi stories, but nothing has really caught my attention yet. But I think I could blame that on the fact that I was looking forward to tonight more than I was reading.”

“Dork,” he muttered.

“Yeah, but I’m your dork,” Shiro shot back. “You ready for the movie?”

“You know it.”

Shiro hit play and sound immediately flooded his headphones. As soon as he got finished with his dinner, he was going to curl up in bed with his computer and enjoy a lazy night with his boyfriend.

~~

Keith smiled. He was feeling warm and content, curled up in bed with his computer and Shiro on the other end. That didn’t stop him from wishing Shiro could be there with him and they could be curled together as they had been during his visit. The credits started rolling on their second movie of the night.

“You want to watch another?” Shiro asked, voice low in his headphones.

“Not really,” Keith said. “I’d rather just talk to you for a bit.”

Shiro’s chuckle crackled a little bit as it came through, but it did nothing to diminish how sweet it sounded. Keith rolled onto his back and dropped a hand on his stomach.

“What did you want to talk about?” Shiro asked.

“Dunno really. I didn’t have much in mind, but thought it would be nice. Reminds me of when you were still here. Almost like we could be lying in bed together right now instead of hundreds of miles apart.”

“I miss being able to curl around you at night. Even though you’ve never slept with me in my bed, it still feels too big.”

“Only a few months until I can,” Keith said with a smile.

Shiro groaned. “Don’t remind me. That’s so far away.”

“Don’t I know it,” Keith grumbled and sighed. “I’d much rather have you with me right now. Your strong arms wrapped around me and your chest pressed against my back…” he trailed off as his voice got softer. The image felt far too real and left something wanting in his chest.

“Keith?” Shiro asked, something sounding off in his voice, almost like it was on the verge of dropping.

“Yeah?” he asked, sounding breathless himself. He swallowed, feeling very warm in his apartment. He shoved the blankets down of his legs, but it only offered a small sense of relief.

“What are you wearing?”

Keith’s eyes widened. The question was a like a punch to his gut and the warmth that had started to spread over his skin cranked up about a hundred degrees. He swallowed and spread his legs, searching for a more comfortable position.

“Nothing too attractive, I’m afraid,” he answered easily. “A red tee and a pair of grey sweats.”

Shiro hummed. “Are they the sweats that always seemed to hang low on your hips?”

Keith licked his lips. “What if they are?”

“If they were I’d have to lay you out on the bed and push your shirt up so I could suck and bite at your hips. Every time you’d wake up and stumble from bed it would make my mouth water. I was desperate to know how it tasted.”

“I don’t think there was anyone stopping you,” Keith said. His eyes slid shut and he slid his hand down enough to push the hem of his shirt up. The air bit at his heated skin and he could already feel himself stirring at the promises Shiro’s words held.

Shiro hummed. “I might not be so hesitant next time.”

“Yeah?” he breathed. “What would you do?”

“I want to drag my hands over your sides and feel every inch of skin on your stomach and chest.”

He could almost feel it and arched into the nonexistent touch. “You’re not allowed to do that unless your own shirt is off and I get to touch you.”

“I think that can be arranged,” Shiro said, voice low in his ear. “I think I’d kiss you on your neck. Bite into the skin until it was a deep purple that you couldn’t hide from anyone.”

“George would tease me about it for days.”

“Good. He’d know who you belong to. Everyone would know.”

Keith sucked in a breath.

“Wait, Keith. No I didn’t mean to sound so possessive like that. You don’t belong to-“

“Shiro,” he interrupted, fingers itching to travel further south until he could cup himself through his pants. He wanted to dip his fingers under the waistband of his sweats even more than that and imagine it was Shiro’s hand that would wrap around him. “Say it again.”

“I-what?” he asked.

“Say it again. That I belong to you. I…no one’s ever wanted to keep me around like that before.”

“Keith…”

“Please.”

“Keith. My Keith.”

He swallowed. “Wh-what else would you do?”

“Once I was done marking you up I would lay down between your legs. Are you hard, Keith?”

Keith’s toes curled reflexively. “Almost painfully hard.”

“Have you touched yourself yet?”

“No.”

“I wish I could taste you. Mouth at you through your sweats before I pull them down far enough to swallow you down.”

Keith shifted, practically whining at the thought.

“Touch yourself, Keith,” Shiro whispered. “Touch yourself for me.”

He swallowed and slid his hand down, cupping himself through his sweats. He immediately pressed into his touch and sighed.

“Shiro…”

“I wish I could see you right now.”

Keith flushed and framed his cock with his index and middle finger. “I guess you’ll just have to save that for later.”

“I wish I could feel you in my hand. I’d wrap one arm around your stomach and keep your back pressed against me while I work you with my other hand. I’d want to feel you squirm and lose yourself against me. I’d want you to sit back and feel everything without having to worry about anyone other than yourself.”

He squeezed his eyes shut at the words. He could imagine it perfectly. He couldn’t decide whether Shiro would use his prosthetic or human hand to help him get off. And then he couldn’t decide which idea he liked better between the two.

“Can you push your sweats down for me, Keith?” he asked.

“Duh,” he said, easily shimmying out of them. He pushed them down his legs and kicked them off, not caring where they landed on the bed.

“Can you do everything as I say it, Keith?”

“If you don’t hurry it up, I’m going to do it myself,” he warned, gripping the sheets next to his thighs.

Shiro chuckled low in his ear and Keith bit his lip at the sound. He imagined how that would sound with hot breath fanning over his ear as Shiro’s body pressed against him from behind.

“So impatient,” he said. “I guess I shouldn’t expect anything else from you.”

“Shiro,” he warned again.

“Fine, fine,” he sighed. “I’d wrap my hand slowly around the base of your cock, letting you feel each finger as it came to rest around you.”

Keith had to stop himself from bucking his hips as he followed what Shiro said. After waiting to be touched for so long, it was a struggle to keep from moving before Shiro said anything.

“The first stroke would be slow. I’d want you to feel each brush of skin,” Shiro continued.

Keith arched his back against the mattress as he did so.

“I’d pause at the top of your cock to make you squirm before moving again, keeping my strokes even and slow. I want you to savor each touch until you’re feeling too much but it’s not enough to push you over the edge.”

Keith sighed, digging his heels into the mattress. “Would you just sit there and watch, Shiro? Your dick digging into my back? Surely you couldn’t just sit by if I’m writhing up against you like you seem to believe would happen?”

Shiro groaned and cursed.

“Can you imagine it?” Keith asked, breathless. His hand was still moving steadily, his need and desire mounting slowly as fire spread through his veins and the muscles in his stomach tightened deliciously.

“Yes,” he hissed. “I bet you look gorgeous, baby.”

Keith’s breath left him in a rush and he shivered, toes curling and uncurling. He fisted his free hand in the blanket next to him.

“Are you on the edge yet?” he asked. “Do you want to come or should I make you wait?”

He grit his teeth at the question. He glanced down at his stomach and saw it heave with his desperate breaths, his dripping cock curled over his stomach even as his hand slid easily over it.

“Shiro, please,” Keith said.

“What do you need, Keith? Need me to stroke faster?” he asked, breaths becoming heavier over the line.

Keith swallowed and moved his hand faster. He arched into the touch, breaths matching with Shiro’s and for one moment it was almost like they were together in bed. The muscles in his thighs tensed as everything in him coiled tight. It was almost painful how close to coming he was.

“Baby,” Shiro groaned.

He whined and squeezed his eyes shut, almost hating himself for the sound.

“Keith,” Shiro said, voice low and rough.

He bit down on his lip and arched his back, stroking himself roughly. Almost unknowingly he reached down between his legs and pressed a finger against his entrance. He gasped at the touch and his breath hitched as come splattered over his chest.

“Fuck,”  he heard Shiro hiss over the line before he was groaning and gasping for air.

He listened as they both panted gently, sucking in air after everything that had just happened. He bit his lip, fighting the pleased smile that was pulling at his lips even as his stomach flipped happily.

“That was…” Shiro trailed off.

“Yeah,” Keith agreed. “That was amazing, Shiro.”

He chuckled. “I’m not sure if amazing really covers it. It was incredible. God, baby…”

“Yeah…”

“Take five to get cleaned up?”

Keith huffed a laugh. “Yeah, that doesn’t sound so bad.”

He pulled the headphones from his head and carefully moved off the bed so he wouldn’t get come on anything that was still clean. He left his sweats and boxers where they’d been shoved to the foot of the bed and waited until he was in the bathroom to pull his dirty shirt off. He used it to wipe most of himself clean, but wet a washcloth for good measure.

Keith slipped a clean shirt over his head and redressed himself before he crawled back into bed and shoved his headphones back on. There was silence on the line and he curled up against his pillow, feeling warm and content as he waited for Shiro to get back.

“Sorry,” he apologized when Keith finally heard Shiro’s mic being moved around again. “That took longer than I thought it would.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Keith said around a yawn. “It’s not a big deal.”

“You tired?”

“A little. I’m wrapped up in bed and I’ve got my boyfriend on the other end of the line after the best jackoff I’ve probably had in a while…”

“Keith!” Shiro whined making him smirk.

He laughed. “Come on, Shiro it’s nothing to be embarrassed about.”

Shiro heaved a fake sigh and Keith tried to imagine what he looked like doing that. Maybe he was staring at the ceiling while lying on his back. If he was there Keith would roll over and rest his head on his chest.

“Shiro?” Keith asked, feeling his eyes grew heavy as sleep pulled at him.

“Yeah, baby?”

“I love you,” he murmured before drifting off to dreams of memories of strong arms, sleepy cuddles in bed, and days spent holding hands around the city and ice skating.


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is not the official update. I'm working on it and it should be up in a few days, but for Write 365 I decided to write a bonus scene of Shiro's reaction to Keith's confession from last chapter! So I hope all of you enjoy this even though it's not very long and it holds you over while I get the next chapter finished up!
> 
> <3 MOLIM

“Shiro?” Keith asked, voice lazy and content. 

“Yeah, baby?” he said, concern coiling in his chest. He knew Keith had said that it was the best jackoff he’d had in a while, but he really hoped he wasn’t starting to regret it. 

“I love you,” he murmured. 

Shiro froze, his heart practically stopping in his chest. He licked his lip and sucked in a shaky breath. 

“Keith?” he asked, keeping his voice soft. “Hey Keith?” 

The line stayed silent and Shiro knew he must’ve fallen asleep. He used his one hand to push himself up in bed and pulled his computer into his lap, staring at the screen where their stream was still pulled up. 

He clenched and unclenched his hands, feeling sweat start to bead in his palms at the admission. Now that the initial surprise had faded, he was feeling giddy more than anything else. Excited. He cared about Keith a lot and knew his feelings were only getting stronger. Last night had only been proof of that. 

He bit his lip, thinking forward to when they were going to be reunited. It couldn’t come soon enough. 

“I love you, too, Keith,” he whispered into the mic, wishing he could be there in person. Wishing he really could have Keith wrapped up in his arms so he could whisper it into his ear. He wanted to press a kiss to his cheek or trail kisses along his neck. 

He was only met with silence even though he knew he would be. 

“I love you so much and I can’t wait to see you again,” he continued. “You’re the greatest thing that’s ever happened to me.” 

Shiro sighed and leaned his head back against the headboard. He grinned up at the ceiling and breathed a laugh. He wasn’t sure if he was going to be able to sleep after tonight. Any sleep that might have been pulling at him was gone and he was wide awake with nerves and excitement. 

Keith was one of the best things that had happened to him. Even though he thought he’d be nothing more than a friend at first, things had quickly gone beyond that. Keith was funny and sassy and sarcastic and so amazing and beautiful. And his voice was silky and smooth and he’d be happy doing nothing more than holding him close for the rest of his life. 

After seeing Keith in person, what was starting to feel like an eternity ago, being apart was becoming more and more painful. He wanted to talk to him all the time just to hear his voice. It didn’t even matter what they talked about. He just wanted to know he was happy and safe. 

Shiro sighed and pulled his headphones off. He closed out of the streaming service and shut down his computer. He climbed out of bed and set his things on his desk before going through his methodical evening routine, brushing his teeth and taking his meds before crawling back into bed. 

He grabbed his phone with his hand and typed in his code, pulling up his messages with Keith. He stared at their last messages to each other and wanted to type out something to him, but didn’t know what to say. 

Keith was in bed asleep and wouldn’t see anything until the morning and somehow, any text he could said wouldn’t be as amazing as the chance to tell Keith himself. He wanted him to hear the words from his lips because he loved him. He loved him more than anyone else he’d ever been with. Not that there had really been many people. And none of those relationships had been half as amazing as the one he shared with Keith.

And he wanted to spend a long time with him. If he was lucky enough, he’d take forever if it meant getting to see Keith’s smile every day.


	26. Chapter 26

Keith smiled before he opened his eyes in bed. He rolled over and snuggled into his pillow before he frowned, feeling something press into the side of his face. He opened his eyes and found his computer next to him and the mic of his headphones bent in front of his eyes.

“Shit,” he sighed and sat up, pulling the headphones from his head. He rubbed at his eyes and yawned, stretching his arms over his head. He looked at his computer and ran his finger over the trackpad. The screen lit up and he found the expired rabb.it page in front of him. He closed the window and pushed the lid of his computer closed.

He sat back against his headboard and smiled, thinking of the night before and laying in bed talking to Shiro. He bit his lip and chuckled at the memory of jacking off to Shiro’s voice and the sound of him. It made him excited to see him again over Spring Break. Hell, it made him excited to talk to him again.

He leaned his head back against the headboard. He couldn’t remember falling asleep. He knew he’d gotten up and cleaned himself before getting changed. Then he laid back back down to talk to Shiro. He bit his lip at the memory of Shiro being embarrassed when he’d said it was the best jackoff he’d had in a while. It was more than a little endearing to hear. The last one he’d had that was so good was when Shiro had still been there after their night in the bar.

And then he’d told Shiro he loved him and couldn’t remember anything else after that.

Keith jolted forward, eyes going wide as his heart hammered in his chest. He’d told Shiro he loved him. And then he fell asleep. He’d just left Shiro with the weight of his words and no response. He was an idiot.

“Shit.” He fumbled around in bed, searching for his phone and found it on his bedside table. He hesitated as he reached for it before wrapping his fingers around the slim case. He bit his lip and pressed the home button, finding a supreme lack of notifications. He didn’t know if he should be relieved or worried.

Keith typed in his passcode and pulled up his messages with Shiro, fingers hovering over the keys, but he found himself unable to type out a message. He clicked on Shiro’s contact instead and pressed the call button.

The sound of the dial tone was loud in his ear and he bit at his thumbnail, unsure of what Shiro was going to say or if he was even going to pick up. The line clicked and Keith winced, waiting for what was to come.

“Morning, baby,” Shiro said, voice still sounding a little rough from sleep. “What’s up? You don’t usually call me so early.”

“Um…” he started, wincing at his inability to make his brain work.

“Everything okay?” Shiro asked, worry creeping into his tone.

“Yeah. I mean, I think so, I hope so anyway,” he said. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

“You can talk to me about anything, Keith,” Shiro said. “Whatever you need.”

“Thanks, Shiro. It’s just…about something I said last night. Before I fell asleep.”

“Oh?” he asked, voice sounding more interested than he would’ve thought.

Keith bit his lip, knowing he must be remembering what he’d said. He rubbed at his forehead. “Well…I don’t know if you remember this but before I fell asleep last night, I…kind of told you that I love you.”

Shiro sighed and it actually sounded happy or pleased. “Yeah, I remember,” he said and that was definitely a smile in his voice.

“And?” he asked. “I mean, you don’t have to say anything back, I just…didn’t want to creep you out or make you feel weird or anything and I-“

“Keith,” he interrupted with a chuckle. “It’s okay. You didn’t creep me out and it wasn’t weird. As long as you meant it?”

Keith grinned and bit his lip again, the warm feelings from the night before returning. They always seemed to come around when he was talking to Shiro. “Yeah, I did. I meant it.”

“Good,” Shiro said. “Because I love you, too.”

Keith’s breath left him in a rush and he closed his eyes. He never would’ve thought the day would come when he would have a boyfriend, but to have come so far and have someone he loved? Well, he had people he loved, but to have someone he was in love with? That had always seemed like nothing more than a pipe dream.

“Shiro?” he asked, sliding down in bed until he was on his back and staring up at the ceiling.

“Yeah?” he asked with a chuckle.

“Thanks.”

Shiro laughed harder. “For what?”

“For loving me,” Keith said with a smile that he knew would never see the light of day outside of his bedroom.

“Keith?” he asked.

“Yeah?”

“Thanks for loving me, too,” Shiro murmured.

Silence fell between them and Keith enjoyed the moment to revel in what they’d just told each other.

“We’re such dorks,” Shiro said.

Keith laughed, feeling more than a little breathless for how early it was. “Yeah, but we already knew that.”

“Yeah, we did,” Shiro said, softly. “Are you up to anything today? Any plans?”

Keith sat back up in bed and looked around his room. “I have work later, but I’m definitely going to relax and enjoy my morning. School’s going to be starting back soon and I’m a little terrified as far as semesters go.”

“You’re going to do great,” Shiro reassured.

“It’s my last one. I’m not so sure how I’m supposed to be feeling about all of this.”

“Amazing and accomplished because you’re my super smart and hot boyfriend who made it through four years of college while holding down a job.”

“I’m about to get a lot more stressed,” he warned.

“So am I,” Shiro agreed. “But we can be stressed and job hunt together.”

Keith laughed and climbed out of bed, shivering at the cold floor beneath his feet. “That we can.”

“And just think of it this way,” Shiro continued as Keith walked to the kitchen to make some coffee. “You can work your ass off doing homework and job hunting and then you’ll get a great vacation for spring break and won’t have to worry about it for a solid week.”

Keith laughed, low and soft. “I’m going to put you on speaker so I can make coffee, okay?”

“Yeah, sure,” Shiro said.

Keith set his phone on the counter and pulled down his bag of coffee grounds. “I haven’t even started the semester and I’m already ready to be on vacation.”

Shiro chuckled, the sound more distorted now that the phone was resting on the counter. “I think that’s because you’ve never had an actual vacation.”

Keith smiled and measured the grounds into his coffee maker, pouring in the water to let it brew. “I think you might be right about that. I think the closest I’ve gotten was when you came to visit me.”

“Wasn’t a bad vacation. Thanks to me.”

“Thanks to you?” Keith asked with a laugh.

“Well, it was because of my presence that I got you out of work and out of your apartment.”

“This is true,” he said, picking his phone up and taking it off speaker.

“And I also took you ice skating and we went out for drinks and drank hot chocolate.”

Keith pulled down a coffee mug and bit his lip. “Well two of those things aren’t going to work during spring break. And if you try to force hot chocolate down my throat, I’m going to throw it back in your face.”

“How about some frozen hot chocolate?” Shiro asked.

Keith sighed, pulling the full pot of coffee from the machine and pouring a cup. “I guess that could be acceptable.”

“Or I could buy you ice cream.”

“Ice cream would also be acceptable,” Keith said with a nod.

“Good. I’m glad to know that I can please you. And we might need the ice cream on the beach.”

“The beach?” Keith asked.

“Yeah!” Shiro said brightly. “My apartment complex is super close to the beach so we can easily walk there and enjoy the sand and the waves.”

Keith thought over his wardrobe and his amazing lack of swim trunks. “Great…”

“Do you not like the beach?” Shiro asked.

“The only beach I’ve been to is the one on Lake Michigan. And I’m pretty sure I don’t even have a pair of swim trunks right now.”

“Oooh,” Shiro said.

“Yeah…” Keith mumbled, taking a sip of his coffee.

“Well if you don’t have any in stores by the time you need to leave, we can get a pair down here. We pretty much have swimsuits stocked year-round.”

“Sure,” Keith said. “Thanks.”

“Sure, baby,” Shiro said.

Keith smiled and rolled his eyes. Shiro’s antics were never going to end and he found himself a little happy over that. He kept his life interesting and exciting.

~~

Keith pushed through the backdoor to the restaurant and was hit with a wonderful aroma of smells. He sighed, almost wishing he had enough money to eat there every night. Sadly, his shifts were about to be shortened again as soon as classes started, and he didn’t have many days left of freedom.

He shuffled into the locker room and shoved his things inside his locker. He pulled the beanie from his head and smiled, fingering the knitted garment in his hands as he was reminded of how Shiro had given it to him. And he loved him. They loved each other. He bit his lip and set it on top of his jacket. Spring break couldn’t come soon enough. Already, their Skype dates just weren’t enough anymore. Not when he knew how it felt to have Shiro’s arms wrapped around him.

He shut his locker and headed for the floor, pausing at the clock to punch his employee ID in.

“Hey, Keith!”

He looked up as George slapped him on the back with a grin.

“Hey!” Keith said, returning the smile.

“How was the night off? And the date with the boyfriend?” he asked with a sly grin.

Keith felt his face heat up at the memory.

George gasped. “What’s that look for?” he asked. “Spill, Kogane.”

Keith chuckled and ran a hand through his hair. “Well, you see….” He glanced around and made sure no one else was within earshot. “I kind of told Shiro that I love him.”

George’s eyes widened, and a grin split his face. “That’s great man! And what did he say? Does he love you, too?”

Keith nodded. “Yeah. He told me this morning.”

“This morning? Why didn’t he tell you last night?”

“Maybe because I accidentally fell asleep after I told him?”

George rolled his eyes. “You’re a piece of work, Kogane. I can’t believe you fell asleep after confessing your love for him. What kind of boyfriend does that?”

“Me apparently,” he grumbled.

George patted his shoulder. “I’m happy for you though, man. Tell Shiro I said, congrats.”

“It’s not like we’re getting married,” Keith said.

George shrugged. “Maybe not, but the two of you have found each other in the craziest of circumstances and you’ve made this work. I don’t know how and I’m amazed, but I’m happy for you and you should be happy for yourselves. So, just let him know, okay?”

Keith felt his stomach twist at the thought of how wrong everything could’ve gone in their relationship and how unlikely it was they would’ve met in the first place. He nodded. “Yeah, I’ll tell him.”

“Good,” George said, flashing a smile. “Now, I gotta get going. Crowds are a little crazy tonight and I’m exhausted.”

“See you, later,” Keith said, as George paused at the timeclock before heading into the back.

George raised a hand over his head without looking back. Keith turned to the floor and hurried out. If the crowds really were that bad, he hoped he hadn’t left his coworker with too many orders to try and fill by themself. He caught sight of Kayla working diligently behind the counter, juggling bottles and cups. He could see the small stack of receipts in front of her.

He washed his hands quickly, giving her a quick nod as he grabbed the receipt on the top of the stack. She nodded back, but her lips were pulled down into a tense line. They didn’t speak at all as they worked through the orders. It seemed they got two or three more orders for every drink they sent out. Keith barely felt like he was breathing, they seemed to dirty the crates of freshly-washed glasses as soon as they came back from the kitchen.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the rush of drink orders slowed, and they managed to catch their breath. Keith looked around himself, staring at the dirty tumblers and mixers and the empty racks and shelves where all their glasses went. The tub that held the empty alcohol bottles was half-full, unusual for a standard night behind the bar.

Kayla set their last pending drink order on the tray with its ticket and crossed her arms on the counter, burying her face behind them.

“That’s probably the worst I’ve seen it in a while,” Keith admitted with a sigh. He rubbed his fingers against his temples, feeling his stress headache give a painful throb at the sudden change of focus.

“I was so worried that I was going to be left under that pile along when George said his shift was up,” Kayla said.

Keith winced. “Sorry, I should’ve gotten out here faster, but we passed each other and chatted.”

Kayla waved her hand. “Don’t worry about it. I’m just glad I had the help. I never would’ve gotten done if I was filling all those orders myself.”

“I guess we should get cleaning while we have nothing else to do,” he muttered. “And just in case another rush of orders comes in.”

She winced. “Is it bad that I want to do nothing except curl up in a ball and sleep?” she asked.

Keith shook his head and smiled. “Nope, because that’s honestly the same thing I want to do. If you want to get those last few glasses put away, I can get some of this stuff washed up since we’ve basically got nothing clean left.”

She nodded and they moved around each other, Keith dumped everything into the sink that was quickly filling with hot water. He poured in a generous amount of dish soap as it filled and watched as bubbles spread over the surface. He shut off the water and got to washing, the rhythmic act giving his mind a chance to rest after the stressful barrage of orders.

“New order,” one of the servers said behind him. Keith sighed as he heard the receipt get smacked down on the counter.

“I got it,” Kayla murmured.

Keith nodded, not saying anything else as he slowly transferred clean measuring cups, shakers and tumblers into the drying rack. Kayla dried what she needed as she made the drink and tossed what she dirtied back into the soapy water.

After she’d finished the drink, Keith saw her cross her arms and lean back against the counter a few feet away from him. He kept his head down and continued to wash, enjoying the silence for a moment. Kayla pulled out a clean towel and started to dry the pieces he’d finished washing as he emptied the sink and washed his hands.

“Keith, can I ask you something?” she asked as she passed the dried pieces off to Keith to put away.

“Um…sure,” he said, moving around their small space. He wasn’t sure what she’d want to know since they’d already talked a little about their everyday lives.

“Look, this may seem kind of weird and I know we’ve only worked together a handful of times, but you’re a great guy and really nice, so…”

Keith chuckled. “If you want someone who’s really nice, that would be George, not me,” he said.

“Well, that’s not exactly what I meant, but anyway, I know this might seem weird, but you’ve been great to work with so far and I really like you…”

Keith’s stomach twisted and dropped at the words. He looked towards the end of the counter, the urge to flee strong because even though he hadn’t seen it coming, he knew where this conversation was going.

Kayla sighed. “Look, I’m just going to say it. I like you and was wondering if you’d go out on a date with me?”

She looked up at him, eyes pleading, and Keith swallowed.

He sighed. “Look, Kayla…you’ve been great to work with too, but I can’t.”

Her face dimmed. “Oh,” she said. “Can I ask why?”

“I’m seeing someone else,” he said.

“Oh, well…she’s a lucky girl.”

Keith bit his lip. “Yeah,” he sighed.

“Are you happy?”

The question was so unexpected that Keith jerked back, looking up at Kayla with wide eyes.

“What?” he asked.

“Are you happy? In your relationship?” she asked.

“Yes,” he said with a nod. He almost wanted to add that the exact details of his relationship were none of her business, but he’d already rejected her and knew her curiosity was only natural since people loved to know everything about other people’s relationships.

She nodded and ducked her head, turning away from him. When another drink order came, she jumped at it and started filling it immediately. Keith fought down the urge to apologize. He had nothing to be sorry for and couldn’t help her feelings or how she was taking the rejection.

He was happy with Shiro. Happier with him than he’d ever thought he’d be and he wasn’t going to apologize for being in a happy, committed relationship. Things didn’t need to be awkward between him and Kayla because of it and if she had a problem with him dating someone else or couldn’t handle being professional when they were around each other, then that was going to have to be something she would have to deal with.


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay in posting, y'all. This chapter has been ready for a few days, but I didn't have a chance to post it over the weekend. 
> 
> <3 MOLIM

“Keith!”

He looked up and found Hunk barreling towards him. Keith grinned and accepted the hug from his friend. “Hey,” he said.

“It’s been so long since we’ve gotten to hang out.”

“I know,” Keith sighed. “I was hoping to spend more time with you guys over break, but…”

“Nah, don’t worry about it. Pidge and I had our own stuff going on, too. We went and visited our families and I’m sure you spent some more time with Shiro,” he said with a smirk.

Keith flushed and tugged at the edges of his beanie, his breath fogging in front of him in the cold air. “Yeah…”

They pushed through the doors of their academic building and Keith sighed happily at the warmth.

“What’s that look for?” Hunk asked, pulled him from his thoughts.

“What?” Keith asked.

“That smile,” he said. “You look happy about something.”

Keith bit his lip and stuffed his hands in his pockets despite being out of the cold.

“Keithhhhhh?” Hunk asked, elbowing him in the arm.

“Shiro and I…”

“Yeah?”

“We told each other that we love each other.”

Hunk gasped and grinned. He pulled Keith into a rough hug. “That’s amazing! I’m so happy for you guys!”

Keith grinned and nodded. “I know. Never thought I’d see the day.”

“This is huge, man. Pidge is going to be so excited.”

“I’m going to be so excited about what?”

They turned and found Pidge grinning behind them. She pulled her hat off her head and shook out her hair.

“I saw you guys and thought I’d stop by and catch up before class,” she said, walking over to them. “Had to sprint across the quad to make it, but what’s it really matter anyway, right? So what’s up?”

“Keith and Shiro said their ‘I love yous,’” Hunk explained.

“That’s great!” she exclaimed, looking up at Keith. “And perfect since you’ll be seeing him again over spring break,” she added with a smirk.

“I know,” he said. “I’m really looking forward to it.”

“You’re going to have to buy plane tickets soon though, aren’t you?” she asked.

Keith nodded. “Yeah, I should probably take care of that this weekend. Amidst the new round of shifts and homework that I’m going to get this week.” He sighed.  

“But it’s your last semester. Just remember that,” Hunk said, patting him on the back. “We can have stressed, job hunting parties where we order pizza and do drunk job applications.”

Keith chuckled. “That doesn’t sound too bad.”

“You can invite the boyfriend, too,” Pidge added. “He can join us over Skype.”

“Sure,” Keith said. “When are you guys free next? We should get started on this as soon as possible.”

Hunk hummed. “Are you good for Friday in two weeks? We could do then.”

Keith furrowed his brow, trying to think over his schedule. “I need to double-cheek my schedule, but I think I should be okay. Once we get our schedules worked out, I can ask Shiro. He should be good for whenever we decide to do it.”

“Cool,” Pidge said with a grin. “We’re all in charge of bringing a bottle of the strongest stuff you want. You can go for whisky, vodka, tequila, I don’t care which. And then we’ll split the cost of the pizza. Keith you can crash on the couch after.”

Keith nodded. “If the night goes how I think it’s going to go, I’m going to need it.”

“Great!” Pidge said. “I gotta get to class. I’ll see you guys later.”

“See you,” Hunk and Keith said. They waved her off as she hurried down the hallway. Keith and Hunk turned to the stairwell and started climbing. When they reached the second floor, Hunk broke off and Keith continued to the third floor where his class was.

Keith pulled out his phone, weaving expertly around other people in the hallway as he approached his classroom. He typed out a quick message to Shiro, smile pulling at his lips even though he hadn’t sent it yet.

_Keith: So…in a couple weeks Pidge and Hunk and I are planning to have a night in where we get drunk and submit job applications and wanted to know if you wanted to join us?_

He pushed open the door to his classroom and made for his seat in the back. Shiro’s reply came before he managed to sit down.

_Shiro: How exactly am I supposed to join you? Fly up there? I wouldn’t mind taking a vacation after the first two weeks of classes._

Keith rolled his eyes.

_Keith: You’re not allowed to skip class and come up here. I’m talking about over Skype. We Skype you in while we work on applications._

_Shiro: Ahhh, I see. Use the power of technology so it actually seems like I’m there._

_Keith: Shut up, Shiro_

_Shiro: Love you, too, babe_

Keith bit his lip, his stomach flipping happily at the words. It still didn’t seem real. And he never got tired of saying it or hearing the sentiment from Shiro. They loved each other, and it was the best thing he could ever ask for.

_Shiro: I might see if Lance and Allura want to join in. We could have our party here and your party there._

_Keith: Sure. The point is to get drunk and apply for jobs so Hunk and Pidge wouldn’t mind. We already wanted to have you there so it’s no problem. And I’m sure it will be a lot more fun for you so you’re not alone in your apartment._

_Shiro: What time should I tell them?_

_Keith: We’re not sure on the exact details yet. I need to check my work schedule so we’re going to finalize the rest later_

_Shiro: You should just take the night off so we can definitely make it for then_

_Keith: Can’t. Gotta make the money.  
Keith: I need it for when I come see you_

_Shiro: Only another two months  
Shiro: God, I can’t wait until I get to see you again. _

_Keith: Me too._

The door to the classroom was pulled open and Keith looked up to find his professor striding inside.

_Keith: Talk later. Prof’s here which means class._

_Shiro: Have fun!_

Keith grinned and tucked his phone away, pulling out his books.

~~

Keith stared at his computer. He was in his living room with his feet propped up on the coffee table. He’d gone through to update his resume and knew he had all the right information on it, but it still didn’t feel good enough. And he hadn’t even started applying for jobs yet. Now more than ever, he wished that a job could fall from the sky and land in his lap. It would save him a lot of stress and the rejection he knew was coming.

He sighed and ran a hand down his face. “Whatever. I can worry more about this later.”

He checked the time and saw that it was getting late. He saved his resume and closed out of the document, grabbing his textbook from the coffee table. He leaned back and flipped open to the page of his assigned reading.

If he wasn’t careful, he was going to end up getting behind on his reading and schoolwork and that’s something he couldn’t afford to do. Not when he had work and job applications on the line. He’d come this far and worked his ass off, he wasn’t going to start failing classes when he was almost finished with school.

Keith sat forward, planting his feet on the floor. He rubbed at his eyes to try and clear away his exhaustion and focus on the words in front of him. School was most important, and he couldn’t let it slip, no matter what else he was worried about.

~~

Keith yawned, covering his mouth with his hand.

“Someone looks tired.”

He looked up from the drink he was preparing and saw Kayla had slipped behind the counter without him noticing. He smiled.

“Yeah,” he sighed. “Getting back into school has hit hard and I’m trying to balance everything.”

She nodded. “Yeah, I can understand. I’ve got a load of credits this semester and I don’t think any of my professors are going to be taking things easy.”

Keith chuckled. “Yeah. Not to mention job applications.”

“Job applications?” she asked. “Are you leaving?”

“It’s my last semester so I’m going to need a real person job.”

“Oooh,” she said. “I didn’t realize you were getting ready to graduate.”

“Yeah, I’m trying not to stress too much, but I can already feel the pressure of needing to have a job lined up when I graduate.”

“Where are you looking?” she asked as she pulled out a bottle from under the counter.

Keith shrugged. “I haven’t thought about it too much. I guess I’d go somewhere down south. I want to work with a space program, but I’m not sure how easy it would be to get on with NASA.”

Kayla whistled. “Surely there are other groups down there though.”

“A few, I think,” Keith said.

“Well, I’m sure you’ll find something,” she said.

“Yeah…”

Keith stared down at his hands as he worked, keeping mostly to himself.

“You know,” Kayla said, pulling him from his thoughts. “If you needed help with the applications or finding jobs, I wouldn’t mind helping.”

Keith swallowed, grabbing the drink ticket from the server before they could even set it down. “Thanks, but I can handle it. I’m getting together with my friends in a couple weeks and we’re going to do a lot of work on applications and resumes.”

“Oh,” she said behind him. “Well if you need any help, I don’t mind, and it’ll be good experience for when I have to do it later…” she trailed of with a tight laugh.

“Yeah,” Keith said, expertly mixing the drink for the order. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

He set it on the tray with the ticket and dumped his mixers into the sink to clean.

“I can do that,” Kayla said, holding out a hand.

“Don’t worry about it. I got it, it’s fine,” Keith said, keeping his head down. He checked a sigh and was ready to kick himself. He wasn’t trying to sound like an asshole, but the turn in the conversation had made him uncomfortable and he really wanted to pull out his phone and call Shiro. He sighed and closed his eyes, slowing his movements so he didn’t splash water over the side of the sink.

He only had a few more months to go before they were going to be together again. It wasn’t that long, and they’d have plenty of fun next weekend doing job applications and getting drunk. He looked over his shoulder and saw Kayla leaning against the counter further away from him. Her arms were crossed over her chest and she was staring off to the side.

Keith almost wanted to apologize. He rinsed off his mixers and started drying them.

“Look,” he said, catching Kayla’s attention. She glanced over at him before looking away. “Sorry if I was kind of harsh, I just...I just don’t really the need the extra help is all.”

“I think I should be the one apologizing,” Kayla said. “I shouldn’t have been so pushy.”

Keith shrugged and started putting the mixer pieces away.

“I just thought it might be kind of fun to hang out outside of work.”

“Don’t take it personally,” Keith said, “but I don’t have much time to hang out with my own friends outside of work, let alone anyone else. Most of the time I actually do see them is when we run into each other on campus between classes.”

Kayla nodded. A server walked by and set down a new ticket. Kayla got to it before Keith could and he watched her work, noticing the droop to her shoulders, but if she was already making a second attempt so soon after asking him out the first time, something inside of him knew that this wouldn’t be the last time.

~~

Keith shivered when he stepped inside his apartment. The warmth was a nice change from the freezing temperatures outside and he brushed the snow from his beanie and his jacket. Now that they were in the midst of winter, he knew it wasn’t going to be long before the inches started to accumulate, and he’d have to wade through snow to get to class and work. He toed out of his boots and left them in the entryway. He winced at how much salt and slush he was going to end up dragging inside when the weather really got bad.

He pulled out his phone and sent off a quick message to Shiro.

_Keith: I’m so tired. Zzzzz I’m ready for spring break_

He tossed his jacket over the back of his desk chair and set the beanie on his desk. He sighed, and landed heavily on the edge of his bad, falling back onto the mattress as sleep tugged at him. His phone vibrated, and he rolled onto his side even though his legs were still hanging over the edge of the bed.

_Shiro: I’m ready for you to be here, too. I was gonna ask if you wanted to watch a show or maybe play a round of_ Voltron _tonight, but that’s probably a hard no, isn’t it?_

_Keith: You have no idea. Getting back into school has been kicking my ass. Not to mention this girl at work…._

_Shiro: You wanna talk about it?_

_Keith: She’s just…she’s apparently not one to give up._

_Shiro: Isn’t that a good thing?_

_Keith: When it comes to work? Yes. When it comes to trying to get me to go on a date with her? Hell no._

_Shiro: Oh_

_Keith: Yeah, I told her I was seeing someone, but apparently that’s not enough. Little does she know that I have the hottest boyfriend ever waiting for me in Florida._

_Shiro: Keithhhhhh_

Keith grinned and chuckled.

_Keith: What’s wrong, baby? Are you getting flustered?_

Instead of getting a new text message, his phone started ringing. Keith grinned and answered.

“Hello?”

“You’re so mean,” Shiro groaned.

“Am I not allowed to use pet names with you now?” he asked with a laugh. His stress and exhaustion were starting to lighten slightly. He imagined that if Shiro was there with him, his responsibilities wouldn’t seem half as bad as they were.

“No…” he grumbled, sounding like he was burying his face in the pillow.

“Come on, bayyyy-beeee,” Keith cooed.

He heard a muffled noise come over the line and smiled. He closed his eyes and imagined what Shiro looked like. He imagined his cheeks were bright red and he had the bottom half of his face hidden behind a pillow while he held the phone up to his other ear.

God, he missed that man.

“Anyway,” he continued after the silence stretched between them. “How is school for you? You’re probably not having as rough a time as I am.”

“It’s not too bad,” Shiro said, voice light. Keith could see him rolling onto his back to stare up at the ceiling and smiled. “Most of the professors I have this semester have been ones I’ve had before which means less scrutiny when it comes to my arm.”

“Wait…” Keith said. “Do professors give you shit over your prosthetic?” he asked, sitting up.

“Well…I wouldn’t say they give me shit exactly…but they always kind of stare at it during the first few classes until they get used to seeing it. Sometimes they don’t even stop then,” he muttered.

Keith felt anger coil in his gut and frowned. He fell back on his bed with a huff. “When I come down there you should introduce me to anyone who’s giving you shit and I’ll kick their asses.”

“Keith, you don’t need to-“

“I’m serious, Shiro. I’ll fight them on the street. The cowards,” he growled.

Shiro laughed. “Okay, Keith,” he said, softly.

Keith huffed, his anger draining out of him. “Hey,” he said. “If I don’t have too much homework over the weekend, do you feel like gaming or watching a movie or show on Saturday? It would be pretty late, and I know it hasn’t been that long since our last one, but…”

“Sure,” Shiro said. “I’d like that. And next time we’ll have a split party where we get drunk and do job applications,” he said with a snicker.

“Ugh,” he groaned. “Don’t remind me.”

“It’ll be okay. You’re cute and smart, and companies would be stupid not to hire you. Isn’t that right, baby?”

Keith smiled and bit his lip. “We’ll have to wait and see, I guess.”

He yawned and placed a hand over his mouth.

“You should get to bed,” Shiro said. “Don’t want you to fall asleep in class and it’s getting pretty late over there.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right,” Keith said, rubbing his eye. “I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

“Sure thing. Don’t work too hard and don’t stress too much.”

Keith breathed a laugh. “Okay. Love you, Shiro.”

“I love you, too, Keith,” Shiro said, voice soft.

Keith bit his lip and pulled his phone from his ear, ending the call. He sighed and stood from his bed, grabbing his pajamas so he could change in the bathroom before bed. His dreams were probably going to be filled with images and memories of Shiro again, but he couldn’t really complain when it was just as good as reality. Even if they were separated for the moment.

**Author's Note:**

> If you want to come hang out on tumblr: my-one-love-is-music.tumblr.com
> 
> Comments, kudos, and any form of feedback is always appreciated! :D
> 
> <3 MOLIM


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